The Transportation Security Administration just launched a new benefit called Gateside by TSA PreCheck, allowing trusted travelers the ability to be at the gate for greetings and goodbyes, shopping and dining beyond the security checkpoint. This covers details about the campaign to restore pre-9/11 rules, other recent positive changes at TSA, plus our commentary.
This new benefit allows TSA PreCheck members to request a free Gateside pass to go beyond the TSA checkpoint at participating airports, even when they aren’t flying. Participants can use the program to accompany family members and loved ones to the gate, greet arriving passengers, enjoy airport restaurants and retail, or experience the terminal without taking a flight.
According to the announcement, Gateside by TSA PreCheck is aimed at restoring the “Golden Age of Travel” via this and other new initiatives that make the airport experience more seamless, convenient, and family friendly. And all while maintaining TSA’s strong security standards. Just use your KTN to apply and use the same dedicated TSA PreCheck lanes for a smoother entry.
As an exclusive benefit for 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 in the era before September 11, 2001.
Note: Availability may be limited during peak times. Visitors are held to the same airport code of conduct rules as ticketed passengers. Visitors must follow federal regulations in 49 C.F.R. Part 1540 and any federal or local requirements as indicated in posted signage. Visitors may be asked to leave, have their TSA Gateside pass revoked, or be subject to civil or criminal penalties for violation of federal or local airport security requirements.
TSA Gateside Participating Airports
Gateside by TSA PreCheck is available at the following 13 airports:
- Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Little Rock, Arkansas
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
- Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas
- Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Ohio
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) in Arizona
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
- San Diego International Airport (SAN)
- Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT) in Kansas
- Will Rogers International Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma City
The free Gateside by TSA PreCheck program iwill roll out to more airports across the country in the coming months.
It’s interesting that Orlando International Airport (MCO) is not on that list. Sure, it’s only 13 airports (for now), but if you were to go by traveler volume or locations that might have the most need for a program that allows people to accompany older or younger travelers to the gate, MCO would be a prime candidate given that it’s located in Florida (older) and serves Walt Disney World (younger).
Part of me wonders if the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority was presented the opportunity to participate in Gateside by TSA PreCheck but declined, as MCO is already bursting at the seams. Security checkpoints and seating past screening have minimal excess bandwidth, and adding even more nontravelers at MCO may not be a good move. Or perhaps MCO just isn’t included in the first wave, but will be added soon.
How to Apply for Gateside by TSA PreCheck
TSA PreCheck members interested in participating may request a Gateside pass at TSA.gov/gateside one to three days before their planned airport visit. Start by clicking the “Apply” button, then creating or logging into your login.gov account.
Applicants must enter their TSA PreCheck Known Traveler Number and select the airport they would like to visit. Submit your request and return to your dashboard in 1-3 days to view your approval status.
Approved participants must present a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID at the TSA PreCheck lane. All individuals accessing the secure area are subject to TSA security screening. Be prepared to log in to your dashboard to show the TSA Officer your approval status if you have children on your reservation.
Attempts at Improving TSA
This initiative is one of several TSA has launched to improve the traveler experience at its 435 airports located throughout the country. This has mostly meant streamlining the security screening process thanks to emerging technology. In some cases, there have also been new ways to make things easier for families, military members and trusted travelers, although our own experience with these offerings (such as family lanes) has been mixed.
Others still have been a rollback of rules that were implemented in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks that reshaped how we travel, both within the United States and abroad. Airport checkpoints for almost a quarter century for most travelers have meant shoes off, limitations on liquids, and no gateside goodbyes or greetings.
Twenty-five years later, the Department of Homeland Security, which was formed in response to 9/11, is starting to roll back some of the restrictions. Obviously, Gateside by TSA PreCheck is one of the biggest changes, and a symbolic step in the right direction.
Speaking of steps in the right direction, last year TSA introduced a new policy to allow passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening. The change is aimed at improving the experience and lowering wait times at TSA checkpoints.
Meanwhile, rules for liquids are officially unchanged with limits on container size remaining in effect. However, new scanners installed at some airport checkpoints allow travelers to leave liquids in their bags before going through screening, which likewise streamlines and speeds up the process.
These are efforts to modernize security across U.S. airports, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience. TSA indicates that cutting-edge technological advancements and multi-layered security approach allows the implementation of this change while maintaining the highest security standards.
Our Commentary
I flew for the first time in 1999, on Northwest Airlines, and only took a couple of flights before 9/11. Honestly, I don’t even recall what the experience was like back then.
September 11th was the most formative event of my youth and I vividly recall the myriad ways it’s changed the world, air travel actually isn’t one of them. The status quo at airports is all I’ve ever known. I don’t particularly care for it and would love to see it improved, though.
The free Gateside perk is nice to see as a symbolic victory in the aftermath of the war on terror. To the maximum extent practicable, I’d like to see airport security rolled back, modernized or streamlined. I have strong opinions on “security theater,” which I’ve previously shared elsewhere.
Even though I have minimal experience with airport security pre-9/11, national security & counterterrorism was a subject I studied; a lot of this revolved around enhanced airport screening measures and behavioral detection. Most of these measures are unreliable, at best.
The term “security theater” is apt largely because the underlying motivation for these rules was reestablishing traveler confidence and peace of mind, as opposed to efficacy. Most airport security measures have more to do with consumer psychology and behavior than they do safety.
Which is a large reason why, 25 years after 9/11, we’re finally seeing these rules rolled back. Improved technology has facilitated some of these changes, but the environment is also dramatically different. Travelers no longer feel reassured by rules; they feel inconvenienced.
This change probably won’t impact us at any point in the immediate future as I cannot fathom a scenario in which I’d like to spend more time at LAX or SNA. It’s also unlikely that Sarah would use it to come pick me up from the airport anytime soon; although our daughter loves to fly, she hates airport security.
There are certainly use cases where I can see TSA Gateside being a valuable option, though. Accompanying loved ones to the gate, greeting them upon arrival, reenacting the end of Love Actually. That sort of thing.
It would likewise be useful when younger or older family members are traveling on their own, and you want to assist them up until or immediately after boarding.
Longer term, incremental improvements like this could help reshape the American airport experience. Part of the reason that I cannot fathom voluntarily spending more time at the airport is because they don’t really exist as public spaces.
If access becomes easier, maybe airports start rethinking their restaurant and retail rosters, and overall approaches. I don’t think any ever become “hangout spots,” but perhaps they attract better anchor tenants, add flagship dining, etc.
Very tangential, but I’d love to see a future where the Walt Disney Imagineering-designed Encounter Restaurant in the Theme Building at LAX reopens. I’m still disappointed we never dined there! (That apparently had its own set of issues, wholly unrelated to what Gatside is addressing. Nevertheless, LAX continues to improve and maybe this happens eventually? Would’ve been awesome to see before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.)
This all seems pretty pie in the sky. Even if the airport experience is improved tremendously and anchor tenants are attracted, it still feels unlikely that Americans are going to be drawn to airports as destinations themselves anytime soon. The last 25 years of unfavorable impressions will take a long time to undo.
TSA Touchless Works Well!
On another positive note, I want to circle back and offer an update on another article: TSA PreCheck Touchless is Pointless at Orlando Airport.
I either wrote that article prematurely or was incredibly unlucky, because every single time I’ve flown since, TSA PreCheck Touchless has offered a flawless experience, as opposed to a pointless one. There have been a couple of times when the line hasn’t been open at LAX and SNA, but it’s been perfect at MCO.
We just flew back home from MCO last week, and got through security in under 5 minutes. Before that, we completed Delta baggage drop in about the same amount of time! There was literally no one in the TSA PreCheck Touchless line, and we breezed right through.
(Thankfully, as our daughter was upset and saying “I want a private plane! Why don’t we have a private plane?!” because she didn’t want to go through TSA. Don’t ask me how she even knows about private planes, let alone that they’re not subject to security.)
Getting through security stress-free and in under 5 minutes at MCO is like winning the lottery. We’ve often remarked that MCO is the “worst” security screening experience because it is disproportionately second-time fliers. My strong suspicion is that MCO has more second-time fliers than any other airport in the United States. (Second because their first-ever flight would’ve been coming to Walt Disney World.) It’s also probably the #1 airport for families. No data on this, just my gut from extensive experience at MCO and other airports.
There are air quotes around “worst” above because it’s not really anyone’s fault. It’s a confluence of circumstances: traveler inexperience, disproportionate numbers of kids, strollers & mobility devices, checked baggage fees, convoluted and counterintuitive rules, along with TSA agents who deal with this all-day, every-day and undoubtedly become a bit, ahem, “battle-hardened” in the process.
If anything, the MCO experience is shockingly pleasant despite the above. The airport manages to overcome a lot of “baked-in” issues and be pretty good. Travelers all do a surprisingly good job of holding things together in spite of it all, shrugging off the slowdowns and chaos. TSA officers are friendly despite being battle hardened. MCO is an impressive organism, even if it can be frustrating and time-consuming for all involved.
If you fly with any degree of regularity, we highly recommend TSA PreCheck. Having that is a gamechanger for the airport experience, and even makes MCO a relative breeze. Many credit cards and loyalty programs cover the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee (if you have the option for either, get Global Entry).
It could also mean not having to schedule a Mears Connect pick-up over 3 hours in advance or getting to the airport super early, which may turn out to be very necessary or complete overkill. One of the biggest knocks on MCO is the massive range in times it could take you from airport arrival to getting to your gate. This, along with other things like the Free Airport Luggage Transfer from Walt Disney World Hotels, could actually help address that.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think about the return of going beyond security with Gateside? What about TSA ditching the “Shoes-Off” policy, introducing Touchless and other incremental improvements over the last year-plus? Think new initiatives like this, along with other programs such as Airport Luggage Transfer/Resort Airline Check-In, could improve the MCO experience? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
