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TSA’s newest PreCheck perk is intended for people who aren’t flying at all.
Gateside by TSA PreCheck, which began rolling out this month at 13 US airports, allows eligible non-ticketed visitors to pass through security after receiving advance approval. That means they can accompany someone to a departure gate, meet an arriving traveler airside, visit a friend or relative during a layover, or access the restaurants and shops beyond the checkpoint.
The program marks an expansion of an idea that several individual airports have experimented with in recent years: allowing some people without boarding passes back into the secure side of the terminal. But Gateside also raises a more practical question—who actually wants to go through airport security on their own volition when they don’t have a flight to catch?
Jennifer Yellin, managing editor at travel rewards platform Points Path, expects the answer to be mostly people helping or meeting someone they know.
“I think families will be the ones to use this the most,” Yellin says “I foresee this being the most beneficial for parents accompanying their child for an outbound flight as well as welcoming home family members.”
She also sees potential for older travelers, nervous or infrequent fliers, and people navigating unfamiliar airports with the help of a friend or relative. In those cases, Gateside could make it possible for someone to stay alongside a traveler all the way to the gate, rather than saying goodbye before security.
“If you have a child, parent, spouse, or even friend who is a nervous flier, being able to walk them to their gate and see them off could help put their nerves to ease,” Yellin says. “It can also be useful to help the same younger or older family member navigate an airport, which might otherwise be challenging. For some travelers, having someone there with you to the very end can put them at ease.”
That doesn’t mean Gateside will replace existing assistance available to travelers who need it. Airlines already issue escort or gate passes in certain circumstances, including unaccompanied minors, and airports and airlines offer assistance for travelers with disabilities. Gateside is broader: A visitor doesn’t need to be escorting someone who qualifies for one of those services. Instead, access is based primarily on the visitor’s eligibility for TSA PreCheck screening and approval for Gateside.
How Gateside by TSA PreCheck works
Gateside is currently being offered as an “operational assessment” at 13 airports, including major hubs such as Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and Salt Lake City International Airport.
To use it, visitors need to be eligible for TSA PreCheck screening and have a Known Traveler Number. That includes TSA PreCheck members as well as eligible members of trusted traveler programs such as Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI.
The pass itself is free, but visitors have to apply online one to three days before their intended airport visit and select the participating airport they plan to enter. Those who are approved bring an acceptable form of identification to the airport and go through a TSA PreCheck checkpoint; they are still subject to normal security screening and restrictions. An approval is valid for the designated calendar day and allows the visitor to leave and re-enter the secure area that day.
Gateside isn’t the first way for a non-ticketed visitor to get beyond airport security. Airports including Seattle, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, Palm Springs, and Tulsa already operate their own visitor-pass programs, each with its own rules. Detroit and San Diego have existing visitor programs in addition to being among the first Gateside airports. The distinction with the new TSA program is that Gateside is tied to PreCheck eligibility and gives approved visitors access through the PreCheck screening lane.
