TSA brings back gate access for unticketed people in DFW, 12 other airports

Eligible TSA PreCheck members without plane tickets can pass through security with planned visit.

For decades, the airport security checkpoint has marked the end of the road for friends and relatives seeing off a traveler. That is changing for some travelers.

The Transportation Security Administration has launched a new program at some U.S. airports allowing eligible TSA PreCheck members without plane tickets to pass through security and enter the gates, reviving a tradition that largely disappeared after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks nearly 25 years ago.

“As an exclusive benefit for our most trusted travelers, this new program makes it easier to return to the gate for welcomes and send-offs, meet friends during a layover, and enjoy dining and shopping along the way, bringing back the moments that once defined air travel,” TSA said on its website.

Before 9/11, people without tickets generally could accompany travelers to the gate. The attacks prompted sweeping changes to airport security, including restrictions on access to secure areas of airports.

The program, called “Gateside by TSA PreCheck,” is free, but people must apply online one to three days before their planned visit and receive approval before going to the airport. If approved, they can enter through a TSA PreCheck lane with an acceptable form of identification. The pass is valid for one calendar day, and visitors can re-enter that day.

TSA says members of other trusted-traveler programs who have a Known Traveler Number can also apply for access to the gates.

The program is currently available at 13 airports, but the agency plans to expand it to more airports in the coming months.

Gateside by TSA PreCheck participating airports

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