For the first time in decades, you might be able to walk your loved one all the way to their departure gate without ever holding a boarding pass. The Transportation Security Administration has rolled out a new initiative called Gateside by TSA PreCheck, and it allows eligible TSA PreCheck members to enter the secure area of participating airports to meet or see off friends and family at their gate, meet someone during a layover, or visit airport restaurants and shops. The program is currently active at 13 airports scattered across the country, including Los Angeles International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, and San Diego International Airport. Other participating locations include Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, Detroit Metro, Salt Lake City International, and several regional hubs across Ohio, Kansas, Indiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. TSA has already signaled that the list will keep growing, with more airports expected to join the program in the coming months.

The idea for Gateside came straight from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who explained the reasoning behind it during a Fox News appearance this week. Mullin pointed to situations like veterans returning home, asking what happens when their loved ones want to meet them right at the gate. He was careful to stress that the program isn't a security shortcut, framing it instead as an extension of the systems TSA already trusts. According to Mullin, the program doesn't compromise security at all, since it's simply built into the existing "known passenger" process that PreCheck already relies on. The goal, he added, is to make the overall passenger experience friendlier at a time when TSA's reputation with the public hasn't always been the warmest.

Not just anyone can walk through, however; the program comes with real eligibility requirements and a screening process of its own. To qualify, visitors need a Known Traveler Number, which means they must already be enrolled in a paid trusted-traveler program like TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. Approval isn't instant either. Applicants have to request a Gateside pass online between one and three days before their planned visit, creating or logging into a login.gov account and submitting their KTN along with basic personal details. Once approved, visitors must bring an acceptable form of ID along with their approval, then pass through a standard TSA PreCheck security lane just like a ticketed traveler would. For those without an accepted ID, TSA does offer an alternative verification option called TSA ConfirmID, though it comes with a $45 fee.

In many ways, Gateside is less a brand-new invention than a return to how American airports used to operate. Before the September 11 attacks, people without boarding passes were freely allowed into airport terminals, and it was only afterward that the U.S. government created TSA and restricted terminal access to ticketed passengers alone. The timing of this announcement is notable too, landing just before the 25th anniversary of the attacks that reshaped air travel security in the first place. Children can also be included on the program, added directly onto a parent or guardian's application rather than needing separate approval. Whether Gateside expands smoothly to more airports or draws pushback over security concerns, it marks one of the more significant loosenings of post-9/11 airport rules in recent memory.