The Transportation Security Administration has begun letting some people without plane tickets pass through security checkpoints and wait at airport gates, reviving a practice that largely disappeared after the September 11, 2001, attacks. The new program, called Gateside by TSA PreCheck, launched this week at 13 airports, 25 years after gate access for non-travelers was sharply restricted.
Who is eligible for the new gate access program?
Gateside is open to people enrolled in TSA PreCheck or another trusted-traveler program who hold a Known Traveler Number. Interested applicants must request access online between one and three days before their planned visit and receive approval before heading to the airport. Those approved can use a PreCheck screening lane with an accepted form of identification, and the pass is valid for one calendar day, allowing repeat entries during that period.
The program is free and does not require a ticket, letting approved participants accompany family members to the gate, greet arriving passengers past security, or simply see off a departing flight, activities that were routine before 2001 but had been unavailable at most U.S. airports since.
Where is the program available so far?
TSA is starting the rollout at 13 airports, including Los Angeles International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City International Airport. The agency has not said when or whether the program will expand to additional airports beyond the initial group.
Sources: The Washington Post · CBS News · NPR
