The Transportation Security Administration has scaled back a new program that lets eligible visitors pass through airport security without an airline ticket, limiting it to 13 airports after a brief expansion earlier this month.
The program, Gateside by TSA PreCheck, debuted in September as a way for people to accompany friends and family to departure gates or greet them upon arrival.
By early October, it had expanded to hundreds of airports before returning to its original 13 locations. The Daily Wire reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to ask why the program was scaled back. DHS did not explain the reversal but said the program remains in an assessment phase at the 13 airports.
“Gateside by TSA PreCheck is currently in the operational assessment phase at 13 airports across the nation. TSA is evaluating participation levels and assessing operational impacts. This assessment is proving that TSA’s security posture remains strong while delivering innovative benefits to PreCheck customers,” DHS told The Daily Wire.
The program allows TSA PreCheck members and eligible members of programs with a Known Traveler Number to apply for a “Gateside Pass.” Applicants must submit their requests one to three days before their planned visit and receive approval before entering the secure area. Once at the airport, they can use TSA PreCheck lanes, but must still undergo security screening.
When debuting the program, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said it improved the airport experience for all without compromising security.
“We came up with a program that doesn’t compromise security at all — it’s just a part of the known passenger process. We hope that it will help the passenger experience,” Mullin said.
“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.”
Former pilot Daniel Bubb, who praised the program when it was unveiled, also noted that additional visitors could lengthen security lines.
“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,” Bubb said.
TSA will continue to monitor the new program that currently operates at the following airports:
- 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
- Salt Lake City International
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