New TSA PreCheck program allows gate access without tickets
Travelers walk through a TSA security checkpoint at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C, earlier this year. Credit: AP/Mark Schiefelbein
For Long Islanders dropping off a loved one at MacArthur, Kennedy or LaGuardia Airport, saying goodbye still means stopping at the security checkpoint.
That is changing at some U.S. airports, where the Transportation Security Administration is allowing eligible TSA PreCheck members without tickets to pass through security and enter gate areas, reviving a tradition that largely disappeared after the terror attacks 25 years ago this week. For now, major airports serving the New York area, including MacArthur, Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark, are not participating.
“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.
The program, called "Gateside by TSA PreCheck” is free, but interested members must apply online one to three days before their planned visits and receive approval before going to the airport. If approved, people will be able to go through security checkpoints using a TSA PreCheck lane with an acceptable form of identification. The passes are valid for one day, but reentries are allowed on that day.
TSA says members of other trusted-traveler programs who have a known traveler number also can apply for access to the gates.
The program is initially available at 13 airports, including Los Angeles International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City International Airport, according to the TSA. The agency says it plans to expand the program to more airports in the coming months.
There are still some ways to get beyond the security checkpoint at local airports. Delta, JetBlue, American Airlines and Southwest issue their own gate passes on a case-by-case basis, generally for situations involving unaccompanied minors or family members helping an older or disabled traveler reach the gate.
The process is similar at each carrier's ticket counter: A person seeking a gate pass must present a valid, government-issued photo ID, and an airline agent fills out an authorization form. Approval is up to the airline and TSA's discretion and is not guaranteed, so travelers should call ahead to confirm the process.
Before the Sept. 11 attacks, individuals without tickets generally could accompany ticketed passengers to their gates. The attacks prompted sweeping changes to airport security, including restrictions on access to secure areas of airports.
Newsday's Carissa Kellman contributed to this story.
