A new TSA program is allowing people without plane tickets to go through security and visit the gate area at select U.S. airports, with plans to expand to more airports in the coming months.
The program, called Gateside by TSA PreCheck, allows eligible TSA PreCheck members to accompany friends or family to their gate, greet someone arriving on a flight, meet a traveler during a layover, or visit restaurants and shops beyond security.
Visitors must apply online one to three days in advance using their Known Traveler Number. The program is free, but approval is required before going through security.
Once approved, visitors must show a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification and go through TSA screening just like a passenger. The pass is valid for one day and allows visitors to leave and re-enter the secure area.
Gateside is currently available at 13 airports across the country, including Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Detroit and Salt Lake City.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is not currently part of the program. TSA says Gateside will expand to additional airports in the coming months, but no date has been announced for Atlanta.
The program brings back an airport experience that largely disappeared after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when tighter security rules began limiting access beyond airport checkpoints to ticketed passengers.
