Travelers with TSA PreCheck membership can now request a same-day pass to walk a companion to their gate or wait there for an arriving flight, without holding a ticket of their own, under a program TSA calls Gateside by TSA PreCheck. The agency began rolling it out in early September 2026 at airports including Los Angeles International, Dallas-Fort Worth International, Harry Reid International in Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City International, with additional locations added individually through the month. It’s a narrow reversal of a rule that has held for a quarter century: non-ticketed visitors have not been allowed past security at a U.S. airport since shortly after September 11, 2001.
How the Pass Actually Works
The program isn’t open to just anyone. Eligibility runs through TSA PreCheck or another trusted-traveler program that issues a Known Traveler Number, and access isn’t automatic even for members. According to TSA’s own press release announcing the launch at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, travelers must apply online one to three days before their planned visit and receive approval before ever arriving at the airport. Once approved, they present acceptable identification at a PreCheck security lane like any ticketed passenger, and the resulting pass is valid for one calendar day with multiple re-entries allowed, useful for someone waiting through a delayed arrival or seeing off a family member ahead of a long layover.
Why TSA Is Doing This Now
TSA has framed the rollout as a reward for its most vetted travelers rather than a general loosening of airport security. In its announcement, the agency described the program as “an exclusive benefit for our most trusted travelers,” aimed at bringing back “the moments that once defined air travel” — the send-offs at the gate, the reunions right as a passenger steps off the jet bridge, that disappeared almost overnight after 2001. NPR’s coverage of the launch traced that history directly, noting that non-ticketed access to gates was routine before the September 11 attacks and has been essentially nonexistent in the 25 years since.
The Limits Worth Knowing About
Thirteen airports made up the initial wave, a small fraction of the roughly 430 airports TSA oversees nationwide, and the agency has said it plans to expand the list in the coming months without committing to a specific timeline. The program also doesn’t restore blanket access. It’s still tied to a specific approved visit, still requires the same identification and screening a ticketed traveler goes through, and can be revoked airport by airport if security conditions change. For families and friends used to saying goodbye at curbside for the past two and a half decades, even that narrow window back through security marks a real shift in how the busiest part of a trip gets to start and end.
