Airport goodbyes have happened at the security line in the US since 9/11. The TSA is now quietly loosening that rule. A new pilot called Gateside by TSA PreCheck lets people who aren't flying clear security and head to the departure gates — as long as they apply in advance and hold PreCheck eligibility.
The program launched this month as an "operational assessment" at 13 US airports, including big hubs like Dallas Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Detroit and San Diego, plus smaller fields such as Mesa Gateway, Wichita and Omaha's Eppley Airfield. It's an expansion of a idea a handful of airports — Seattle, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, Palm Springs and Tulsa among them — already run as their own visitor-pass schemes. The difference is that Gateside rides on the PreCheck system.
Here's the mechanics. The pass is free, but you apply online one to three days before your visit and pick the airport you're entering. You need to be eligible for PreCheck screening and have a Known Traveler Number — so PreCheck members, plus Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI holders all qualify. On the day, you bring ID, go through the PreCheck lane like any passenger, and your approval lasts for that calendar day, with re-entry allowed. Normal security rules and liquid limits still apply, so nobody's smuggling a full water bottle airside.
Who is this actually for? Jennifer Yellin of Points Path told Condé Nast Traveler she expects families to dominate: parents walking a child to their flight, households greeting a returning relative, or someone steadying a nervous or elderly flier all the way to the gate instead of waving goodbye at the checkpoint. The sneakiest-useful case might be layovers. If a friend has a long connection in your city, you can meet them inside security rather than dragging them out and back through screening — often impossible on a short connection at a big airport.
It's worth noting Gateside doesn't replace existing options. Airlines still issue escort passes for unaccompanied minors and specific situations, and assistance for travelers with disabilities continues as before. Gateside is broader — anyone PreCheck-eligible can apply — but also narrower in reach, since it's limited to 13 airports and requires advance approval. Yellin's honest take: for the average traveler this changes little, and nobody's going to volunteer for security screening just for fun. Airport slogs aren't exactly a draw.
There's some symbolism here too. Before September 11, 2001, anyone could accompany a passenger to the gate; afterwards, the secure side became ticketed passengers only. Gateside isn't a return to that era — the TSA frames it as an experiment in improving the experience while keeping security intact — but it does reopen a small door that's been shut for about 25 years.
If you have a PreCheck or trusted-traveler number and a genuine reason to be at one of the 13 participating airports, it's a free, low-effort perk worth knowing about. Just remember the application window: one to three days ahead, no exceptions.
— Condé Nast Traveler