For the first time since 9/11, TSA is allowing airport visitors past security without an airline ticket.
The new TSA program, called “Gateside,” allows non-ticketed airport visitors to go to airport gates as long as they apply and are screened by TSA security. The White House said on Tuesday the new program allows “non-passengers to meet loved ones at the gate.”
“We came up with a program that doesn’t compromise security at all — it’s just a part of the known passenger process,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “We hope that it will help the passenger experience.”
Airlines already grant special gate passes to non-ticketed parents accompanying minors to the gate, but Mullin said the new program was designed with all air travelers in mind, not just the elderly and younger passengers who often need assistance.
“It’s not just kids, it’s adults. It’s our wives, it’s our parents, elderly parents, our grandparents that we want to pick up at the gate,” he said. “So we started to look at how we do this better and still keep everybody safe.”
The program is already up and running at 13 airports across the United States, including Mesa Gateway in Arizona; John Glenn Columbus International in Ohio; Dallas Fort Worth International; Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County; Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National in Kansas; Indianapolis International; Harry Reid International in Las Vegas; Los Angeles International; Bill and Hillary Clinton National in Little Rock, Arkansas; Will Rogers International in Oklahoma City; Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska; San Diego International; and Salt Lake City International in Utah.
But getting through to the gate still has its restrictions. An airport visitor needs TSA PreCheck or a known traveler number to be eligible to get a “Gateside Pass” and must apply for a pass before showing up. TSA requires visitors using “Gateside” to apply for a pass “at least one day before your visit and no more than three days in advance.”
Those with a “Gateside Pass” will still be subjected to the same TSA screening as ticketed passengers and will not be allowed past the doors leading to the plane.
Columbus Regional Airport Authority President and CEO Daren Griffin called the move a return to something air travel had lost.
“This innovative program helps bring back special moments that many travelers have missed — welcoming loved ones at the gate, enjoying a meal together before a flight, or simply sharing time in the terminal,” he told a local outlet.
Daniel Bubb, a former pilot, also weighed in on the impact of the program, saying it would restore time families and friends used to have together before a flight.
“I actually remember the days in air travel where friends and family members could go with the people who were traveling past security and go have a meal together, go have a drink, sit and visit before they go to the plane,” said Bubb.
He added, however, that the new program could lead to longer security wait times. “It’s going to add more people to the lines, and so it is going to lengthen the time. I can see that being a little bit of a challenge, so airports are going to have to figure that out.”
The move is the latest change to TSA under the Trump administration. Last year, the Trump administration ended a policy that forced passengers to take their shoes off as they went through TSA screening and security. The administration also began fully enforcing the REAL ID requirement, meaning travelers 18 and older must present a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or passport to board a domestic flight.
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