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# TSA Gateside Lets You Go Through Airport Security Without a Plane Ticket
- URL: https://www.trashpandatravel.com/tsa-gateside-lets-you-go-through-airport-security-without-a-plane-ticket/
- Published: 2026-09-08T19:17:56.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-08T19:17:56.000Z
- Description: TSA's new Gateside by TSA PreCheck program lets eligible non-ticketed visitors go through airport security at 13 U.S. airports to meet or see off friends and family at the gate.
- Author: James Cox

For nearly 25 years, one of the dividing lines at an airport has been the TSA checkpoint: if you weren't flying, that was usually where you said goodbye.

TSA is now testing a program that changes that.

**Gateside by TSA PreCheck** allows eligible people **without an airline ticket** to pass through airport security and enter the secure side of the terminal at participating airports.

That means you could walk a family member to the gate, greet someone as they step off the plane, visit a friend during a long layover, or even head airside for airport restaurants and shopping without having a flight of your own.

There is one important catch: **this isn't open to everyone. You need TSA PreCheck eligibility and a Known Traveler Number.**

And, unlike many airport-operated visitor-pass programs, Gateside users actually get to use the **TSA PreCheck security lane**.

## Airport Goodbyes Are Going Old School

Anyone who flew before September 11, 2001, probably remembers when meeting someone at the airport actually meant meeting them **at the gate**.

Families could walk departing passengers all the way to their flight, and people meeting arriving passengers could be waiting when they stepped into the terminal.

Those days largely disappeared after the September 11 attacks as airport security was dramatically tightened and secure terminal areas became restricted primarily to ticketed passengers.

Gateside by TSA PreCheck doesn't completely bring the old system back, but for trusted travelers it comes surprisingly close.

## What Can You Do With a Gateside Pass?

Once approved, a Gateside visitor can enter the secure portion of a participating airport without having a boarding pass.

Some obvious uses include:

- Walking your spouse, kids, parents or friends to their departure gate
- Meeting an arriving passenger directly at the gate
- Spending time with someone during a long airport layover
- Helping family members navigate an unfamiliar airport
- Visiting airside restaurants and shops
- Doing some plane spotting without buying a ticket to nowhere

For families, this could be especially useful when someone is traveling alone for the first time.

It also provides a much nicer way to say goodbye than waving at someone while they disappear into the TSA line.

## Who Is Eligible for Gateside?

This is where the program differs significantly from visitor passes already offered by some individual airports.

**Gateside is a TSA PreCheck benefit.**

Visitors need TSA PreCheck benefits and a **Known Traveler Number (KTN)** to apply.

Having a family member who has PreCheck isn't enough. The adult requesting Gateside access needs to be eligible independently.

Children can participate as well, but they must be included on the application of their participating parent or guardian.

The Gateside pass itself is **free**.

## How to Apply for TSA Gateside

Don't plan on showing up at the airport and talking your way past TSA because you want to see Grandma board her flight.

Gateside requires advance approval.

### 1\. Apply one to three days before your visit

TSA requires Gateside applications to be submitted online **between one and three days before the planned airport visit**.

### 2\. Provide your TSA PreCheck information

You'll need your personal information and Known Traveler Number.

TSA uses this information to determine whether you are eligible for Gateside access.

### 3\. Wait for approval

Submitting an application does not automatically mean you're getting into the terminal.

Approval is subject to TSA and airport capacity, and the number of visitors may be limited during busy travel periods.

### 4\. Bring identification and your approval

If approved, bring an acceptable form of identification along with your Gateside approval.

### 5\. Go through TSA PreCheck

Here's one of the best parts.

Approved Gateside visitors go through the **TSA PreCheck security lane**, rather than being dumped into the standard security line like visitors using many airport-specific guest-pass programs.

You're still going through security, of course. Gateside isn't a security bypass.

It simply replaces the requirement to have an airline boarding pass.

## What If You Don't Have Acceptable Identification?

TSA says Gateside visitors without an acceptable form of identification may be able to use **TSA ConfirmID** to verify their identity.

But there's a rather Trash Panda-unfriendly catch:

**ConfirmID costs $45.**

Considering Gateside itself is free, paying $45 because you arrived without acceptable ID makes this an expensive airport farewell.

Bring your ID.

## These 13 Airports Currently Offer Gateside

At launch, Gateside by TSA PreCheck is available at **13 U.S. airports**:

| Airport                                       | Code |
| --------------------------------------------- | ---- |
| Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport                  | AZA  |
| John Glenn Columbus International Airport     | CMH  |
| Dallas Fort Worth International Airport       | DFW  |
| Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport     | DTW  |
| Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport | ICT  |
| Indianapolis International Airport            | IND  |
| Harry Reid International Airport              | LAS  |
| Los Angeles International Airport             | LAX  |
| Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport     | LIT  |
| Will Rogers International Airport             | OKC  |
| Eppley Airfield                               | OMA  |
| San Diego International Airport               | SAN  |
| Salt Lake City International Airport          | SLC  |

TSA says it is evaluating Gateside and plans to expand the program to additional airports.

For Trash Panda Travel readers in Las Vegas, the inclusion of **Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)** is particularly nice. We don't have to wait for some future expansion to try it.

## Gateside vs. Airport Visitor Passes

Several airports already have programs that allow non-ticketed visitors through security.

Gateside is different.

Airport visitor programs generally operate independently and frequently require guests to use the regular TSA screening lanes—even when the visitor personally has TSA PreCheck.

**Gateside visitors can use the PreCheck lane.**

That's a meaningful distinction.

If you've ever watched the regular security line snake halfway through a terminal while walking through PreCheck in a few minutes, you understand why.

Some airports may ultimately offer both an airport-specific visitor program and Gateside.

## Don't Assume Gateside Gets You Into an Airport Lounge

There is another distinction worth making.

**Gateside gets you through airport security. It doesn't automatically give you lounge access.**

Airline lounges and independent airport lounges have their own admission rules, and many require a same-day boarding pass in addition to whatever membership, elite status or credit card normally grants access.

Don't assume your Priority Pass, airline lounge membership or premium credit card suddenly turns Gateside into a free airport lounge crawl.

Although we'd certainly respect the attempt.

## TSA PreCheck Just Became Slightly More Valuable

Most people get TSA PreCheck because they want faster and less intrusive airport screening.

Gateside adds an entirely different benefit.

Instead of PreCheck being useful only when **you're flying**, membership can now have value when someone else is traveling.

That could be particularly useful for:

- Families with young travelers
- Elderly relatives
- Inexperienced travelers
- Couples traveling separately
- People meeting friends during connections
- Parents saying goodbye to college students
- Military families
- Anyone who simply wants a proper airport reunion

And since numerous travel credit cards reimburse TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fees, plenty of travelers already have PreCheck at little or no out-of-pocket cost.

## The Trash Panda Take

I like this.

TSA isn't throwing airport security back to the 1990s and letting anyone wander down to Gate 37 because they heard the Chili's behind security is better.

Gateside is limited to people who have already gone through the government's trusted-traveler vetting process, visitors still have to pass airport security, and TSA controls how many Gateside passes are issued.

But within those limits, it restores something that was lost from air travel a long time ago.

Airports aren't only transportation infrastructure. They're places where people leave, arrive, reunite and say goodbye.

Being able to walk someone you care about all the way to the gate—or be standing there when they arrive—can matter a lot more than another airport restaurant or duty-free shop.

And if TSA can provide that option without materially slowing down PreCheck lines, Gateside looks like a very worthwhile addition to the program.

Just remember: **apply one to three days ahead.**

Apparently even nostalgia now requires an online reservation.

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