TSA Now Lets You Go Through Airport Security Without a Flight Ticket at 13 Airports
by Daniel McCarthy
Photo: Nate Hovee / Shutterstock.com
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is rolling out a new program called Gateside by TSA PreCheck that will allow people to go through airport security even if they don’t have an airline ticket.
The program will give individuals single-day authorization to use TSA PreCheck lanes to enter the post-security areas, to greet or say goodbye to family and friends or unaccompanied minors who are traveling, to meet others who are at the airport during a long layover, or to access the post-security dining or amenities that some airports are really starting to ramp up.
Thirteen airports are currently offering the program: John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH), Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas (LAS), Indianapolis International Airport (IND), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas (LIT), Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City (OKC), Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska (OMA), Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), San Diego International Airport (SAN), and Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT).
Anyone who wants to be part of this program has to be an active TSA PreCheck member (either through that program or through Global Entry), or be part of another program that gets them a Known Traveler Number (KTN). Then, they’ll have to submit a pass request one to three days prior to their planned visit. Approval depends on each airport’s daily visitor cap and peak-hour capacity-those trying to get a pass during peak airport times during the busiest times of the year are less likely to get approved.
There is no fee to request or receive a pass, just the fee for whatever Known Traveler Program an individual is a part of.
After that, if they are approved, they’ll be able to go through the airport’s PreCheck lane with an ID and their Gateside pass just like they would an airline ticket.





