TSA Brings Back Pre-9/11 Airport Perk for Non-Ticketed Visitors

WASHINGTON (VINnews) – An airport practice that largely disappeared after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is making a limited comeback.

The Transportation Security Administration has launched a pilot program allowing certain people without airline tickets to pass through security and enter the gate areas at 13 U.S. airports.

The program, called Gateside by TSA PreCheck, allows approved visitors to accompany friends or family members to the gate, greet arriving passengers, meet someone during a layover or visit shops and restaurants inside the secure area.

Before 9/11, access to airport gate areas was considerably less restricted. TSA’s own historical materials describe the pre-9/11 system as allowing all screened individuals into the sterile area, compared with more limited access today.

Under the new program, visitors must be enrolled in TSA PreCheck or another eligible trusted-traveler program and apply online between one and three days before their planned airport visit.

Applicants must receive approval before arriving at the airport. Once there, they are required to go through the same TSA security screening process as other people entering the secure area.

There is no fee to participate, although individual airports can limit the number of visitor passes issued and restrict the program during particularly busy periods.

TSA said the pilot initially includes these 13 airports:

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) — Mesa, Arizona
John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) — Columbus, Ohio
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) — Dallas, Texas
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) — Detroit, Michigan
Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT) — Wichita, Kansas
Indianapolis International Airport (IND) — Indianapolis, Indiana
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) — Las Vegas, Nevada
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) — Los Angeles, California
Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) — Little Rock, Arkansas
Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Eppley Airfield (OMA) — Omaha, Nebraska
San Diego International Airport (SAN) — San Diego, California
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) — Salt Lake City, Utah

TSA says the program is part of an effort to provide greater access to airport terminals while maintaining existing security requirements. The agency partnered with the 13 airports for the initial launch.

Visitors remain subject to airport and TSA rules while inside the secure area. Violations can result in the visitor’s access being revoked and, depending on the circumstances, additional penalties.

For travelers who remember the pre-9/11 era, the program represents a small return to an airport experience in which saying goodbye to a loved one did not necessarily have to happen at the security checkpoint.