New TSA program will allow some people to go through security without a ticket
Key Points:
- The TSA has introduced "Gateside by TSA PreCheck," a new program allowing eligible TSA PreCheck members without plane tickets to pass through security and access airport gates, reviving pre-9/11 traditions of friends and family seeing off travelers at the gate.
- This free program requires online application and approval one to three days before the visit, granting a one-day pass to enter through TSA PreCheck lanes with proper ID, with the ability to re-enter on the same day.
- Initially available at 13 U.S. airports including LAX, Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City, the TSA plans to expand the program to more locations in the near future.
- Members of other trusted traveler programs with Known Traveler Numbers can also apply for gate access through this initiative.
- Some airports, like Pittsburgh International, have offered similar programs such as myPITpass since 2017, though operations were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and airport construction.