TSA Launches Gateside Program: Non-Ticketed Visitors Can Now Access Airport Gates

The Transportation Security Administration launched Gateside by TSA PreCheck in early September 2026, allowing eligible non-ticketed visitors to pass through airport security and access gates at 13 U.S. airports. The free pilot program reverses a 25-year restriction imposed after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Visitors must hold TSA PreCheck status or a Known Traveler Number, apply one to three days in advance, and pass standard security screening.

How the Gateside program works

Gateside is a free, one-day pass for TSA PreCheck members and holders of a Known Traveler Number. Applicants register through Login.gov one to three days before their visit and enter through the TSA PreCheck security lane with valid identification. Visitors undergo standard TSA screening and are bound by airport code of conduct rules. Children may accompany an approved adult on the same reservation. Approval is not guaranteed, as airports can limit daily pass volume.

Which airports are participating

The program is live at 13 airports: Mesa Gateway (AZA), John Glenn Columbus International (CMH), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Detroit Metropolitan (DTW), Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower (ICT), Indianapolis (IND), Harry Reid International (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Bill and Hillary Clinton National (LIT), Will Rogers World (OKC), Eppley Airfield (OMA), San Diego (SAN), and Salt Lake City (SLC). The TSA plans to expand to additional airports in the coming months. Gateway Airport was chosen as a pilot site partly because it rarely experiences security checkpoint waits.

What visitors can do beyond security

Gateside pass holders can walk companions to departure gates, greet arriving passengers at their gates, meet friends during layovers, and use restaurants and shops in the secure terminal area. The program does not permit boarding an aircraft. Non-flyers can spend time in the post-security concourse for the full calendar day of their approved pass, restoring an experience common before 9/11 security protocols took effect.

Security concerns and eligibility limits

Gateside access is restricted to TSA PreCheck members, certain federal employees, and participants in other eligible trusted-traveler programs. The TSA has tightened PreCheck enrollment and expanded watch-list matching through its Secure Flight system since 2015, when federal auditors found security gaps. Violators of airport conduct rules may face pass revocation, removal, or civil and criminal penalties. The program does not alter standard prohibited-items rules or security screening procedures.

Why this matters for travelers

For 25 years, airport reunions and farewells have been limited to baggage claim or the security checkpoint. Gateside restores the ability to walk loved ones to their gate or meet them immediately after arrival, a practice that defined pre-9/11 air travel. The program is free for TSA PreCheck members, though it requires advance planning and approval. Travelers without PreCheck can still use independent visitor programs at more than 20 other U.S. airports that do not require PreCheck enrollment.

Final Thoughts

Gateside by TSA PreCheck marks the first major crack in post-9/11 airport access restrictions, but eligibility is narrow and limited to PreCheck members. The 13-airport pilot will test whether the program can operate safely before nationwide expansion.

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