Las Vegas Teams Up With Dallas and More as Gateside by TSA PreCheck Brings Loved Ones Back to the Gate at 13 US Airports

Written By: Jishnoo Banerjee

Jishnoo Banerjee

A published author with over 9 years of experience in writing, poetry, and novel creation. Starting out on social media, Jishnoo gained recognition for engaging content in both English and Bengali. With a strong background as a news content writer, Jishnoo now contributes to a prestigious global travel magazine. Known for blending creative writing with journalism, the work seamlessly combines artistic expression with insightful reporting across different platforms.

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September 12, 2026 17:55 GMT+5:30

Las Vegas teams up with Dallas and more US airports as Gateside by TSA PreCheck brings loved ones back to the gate at 13 participating airports by allowing approved non-ticketed visitors to enter secure areas after screening. The new TSA initiative restores family connections, gate welcomes and layover meetings while maintaining modern security standards through trusted traveller checks, advance approval and TSA screening. With airports including Las Vegas, Dallas Fort Worth and Los Angeles joining the programme, the initiative creates a new way for travellers and their families to reconnect inside America’s airports.

A new TSA initiative called Gateside by TSA PreCheck is allowing approved people without airline tickets to pass through security and enter secure gate areas at selected US airports. It means a parent can walk a child to the gate, a family can welcome a loved one as they step off a flight, or a friend can meet someone during a long layover without needing to buy a plane ticket.

For nearly 25 years, this kind of routine airport access had largely disappeared. Before the September 11, 2001 attacks, friends and relatives commonly waited at departure gates or welcomed passengers directly from aircraft. Security changes introduced afterwards restricted secure terminal access mainly to ticketed passengers.

Gateside does not return airports to the old system completely. Visitors must already be trusted travellers, apply in advance and pass through airport security. But the programme is a significant change because it creates a formal federal route for non-ticketed people to enter secure terminals.

What Is Gateside by TSA PreCheck?

Gateside by TSA PreCheck is a free benefit for eligible TSA PreCheck members and some other trusted travellers with a valid Known Traveler Number.

An approved person can enter a participating airport beyond the TSA checkpoint even if they are not flying that day.

The programme is designed for several situations. A person may accompany a family member to a departure gate, meet someone arriving from a flight, spend time with a traveller during a layover, or simply visit restaurants and shops inside the secure part of the airport.

TSA has described the scheme as a way to bring back some of the personal moments that once formed part of the airport experience while keeping modern security controls in place.

Who Can Use Gateside?

The programme is not open to every visitor.

Applicants need TSA PreCheck eligibility or another qualifying trusted-traveller status linked to a Known Traveler Number. Members of programmes such as Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI may also be able to apply using their KTN.

This requirement is important because Gateside is being built around people who have already gone through background vetting for trusted-traveller programmes.

A person cannot simply arrive at the airport and ask to go through security.

They must first submit an online request and receive approval.

How the Application Process Works

The application process is designed to be simple but controlled.

Eligible visitors should request a Gateside pass through the TSA Gateside system between one and three days before the planned airport visit.

Applicants provide their Known Traveler Number and select the participating airport they want to enter.

TSA then conducts the required checks. If the request is approved, the visitor receives authorisation for the selected day.

The pass is free.

It is valid for one calendar day, and approved visitors can generally leave and re-enter during that same day.

That flexibility could be useful for someone meeting a traveller whose flight is delayed or for a person planning to spend several hours with a family member between flights.

Visitors Still Have to Pass Through Security

Gateside does not allow anyone to bypass airport screening.

Approved visitors must present an acceptable form of identification, such as a REAL ID or another TSA-approved document, when entering the checkpoint.

They then go through TSA security screening.

Because the programme is linked to TSA PreCheck eligibility, approved participants can use a TSA PreCheck screening lane. However, they cannot use TSA PreCheck Touchless ID lanes under the current rules.

The normal rules on prohibited items still apply.

A visitor cannot carry liquids, weapons or other restricted objects through security simply because they are not flying.

That is one of the most important points about Gateside: the boarding pass requirement is relaxed for approved participants, but the security rules are not.

Families Can Stay Together for Longer

One of the clearest benefits is for families.

Airports can be stressful for children, elderly travellers and people who do not fly often. Previously, family members often had to say goodbye before the security checkpoint unless an airline issued a special escort pass.

Gateside creates a wider option.

A parent, grandparent or relative with eligible trusted-traveller status may be able to walk with a loved one through the airport, help them find the correct gate and remain with them until boarding begins.

Children can also be included in an adult’s Gateside application when required under the programme rules.

This could be particularly useful for families sending children, students or elderly relatives on journeys.

Meeting Arriving Passengers at the Gate Returns

For many Americans, one of the strongest memories of pre-2001 air travel was waiting directly at the gate for an arriving passenger.

Gateside brings part of that tradition back.

An approved visitor can pass through security and wait in the secure terminal rather than standing outside baggage claim or at the arrivals hall.

That means family reunions, military homecomings and personal welcomes can happen closer to the aircraft.

It also changes the emotional experience of travel.

Airports are normally treated as places people move through quickly. Gateside turns part of the terminal back into a meeting place.

Long Layovers Could Become More Social

The scheme also creates a new option for travellers facing long connections.

Imagine a passenger has a four-hour layover in Los Angeles, Dallas or Las Vegas. A friend or relative living nearby could apply for Gateside access in advance, enter the terminal and meet them for lunch without the passenger having to leave security.

That can save the traveller from going through security again before the connecting flight.

It also makes airports more useful as meeting points.

This benefit could be especially attractive at large hubs where passengers sometimes spend many hours between flights.

Shopping and Dining Are Part of the Plan

Gateside is not only about family reunions.

TSA also says approved visitors can use airport dining and shopping facilities.

That gives airports another reason to support the programme.

Modern terminals often contain restaurants, bars, cafés and shops that operate almost like small commercial districts. Traditionally, only ticketed passengers could reach most of those businesses.

Gateside creates a small new customer base.

A local resident could potentially meet a travelling friend for dinner after security. Families waiting for arriving passengers could spend money in terminal restaurants or shops.

This may create extra non-aeronautical revenue for participating airports and concession operators, although the initial programme is too new for meaningful revenue data.

The Programme Is Limited to 13 Airports for Now

Gateside is currently operating at 13 airports.

TSA has said it intends to expand the programme to more airports in the coming months.

Los Angeles and Dallas Give the Programme Major-Hub Visibility

The inclusion of Los Angeles International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport gives Gateside national significance.

Both airports handle huge numbers of domestic and international passengers.

LAX also connects travellers across Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Pacific, while DFW is one of America’s biggest connecting hubs.

Allowing approved non-travellers into secure areas at airports of this scale gives TSA an opportunity to study how Gateside works under heavy passenger volumes and complex terminal operations.

The programme is still being treated as an operational assessment rather than unrestricted nationwide access.

Daily Access Is Not Unlimited

Another important limit is capacity.

Gateside passes are not guaranteed.

Participating airports and TSA can restrict availability, particularly during busy travel periods.

That matters because checkpoint space remains primarily for passengers who have flights to catch.

If an airport becomes crowded during Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break or another peak travel period, Gateside access can be restricted or temporarily unavailable.

The programme therefore offers an opportunity, not an automatic right to enter the terminal.

Applicants should also avoid making plans that depend completely on approval.

Gateside Is Different from Existing Airport Visitor Passes

Some American airports already operate their own visitor-pass programmes.

Those schemes allow approved non-ticketed visitors to enter secure terminal areas after background checks, but they are usually managed locally and often require visitors to use standard TSA screening lanes.

Gateside is different because it is a TSA-led programme tied directly to PreCheck eligibility and allows approved participants to use PreCheck lanes.

It is also different from an airline escort pass.

Airlines can issue gate passes in specific circumstances, such as helping an unaccompanied minor or assisting someone who needs support.

Gateside has a broader purpose. A person does not need to prove that the passenger requires assistance. Meeting a relative, saying goodbye or having lunch during a layover can be enough reason to apply.

Why TSA Is Introducing It Now

The timing carries historical weight.

The programme has emerged around the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, which transformed airport security in the United States.

Those attacks led to fundamental changes in aviation security, including the creation of TSA and much tighter controls over who could enter secure airport areas.

Gateside does not reverse those reforms.

Instead, it reflects how security systems have changed.

Trusted-traveller databases, identity verification and advance screening now allow TSA to distinguish between an unverified walk-in visitor and a person who has already passed through a trusted-traveller vetting process.

That makes limited non-ticketed terminal access possible without returning to the largely open gate areas of the 1990s.

Why the Programme Matters for Air Travel

The significance of Gateside is not really about airport shopping.

It is about restoring human contact to a part of travel that became more restricted after 2001.

For a nervous child, having a parent stay until boarding can make flying easier.

For an elderly traveller, having a relative help them reach the correct gate can reduce stress.

For military families, waiting at the gate can make a homecoming more personal.

For friends separated by distance, even a long airport connection can become an opportunity to meet.

At the same time, TSA is trying to show that convenience does not have to mean weaker security.

Every Gateside visitor still needs approval, identification and screening.

That balance will determine whether the programme grows.

Gateside Could Change How Americans Use Airports

For years, American airports have mainly divided people into two groups: passengers who could go beyond security and everyone else who could not.

Gateside creates a third category.

A trusted, approved visitor can now enter secure areas at selected airports without holding a boarding pass.

For the moment, the programme remains small. It covers only 13 airports and daily access can be limited.

But if TSA expands it successfully, meeting someone at the gate may gradually become normal again for a new generation of travellers.

The airport goodbye may no longer have to end at the security checkpoint.

And after nearly a quarter of a century, one of the most familiar traditions of American air travel is beginning to return — this time with advance approval, digital identity checks and TSA PreCheck security standing between nostalgia and modern aviation safety.

Las Vegas teams up with Dallas and more as Gateside by TSA PreCheck brings loved ones back to the gate at 13 US airports by allowing approved non-ticketed visitors to enter secure areas through trusted traveller checks and TSA screening.

In conclusion, Las Vegas teams up with Dallas and more as Gateside by TSA PreCheck brings loved ones back to the gate at 13 US airports by creating a new pathway for approved non-ticketed visitors to enter secure terminal areas while maintaining strict aviation security measures. The initiative reconnects families, friends and travellers by restoring gate welcomes, send-offs and layover meetings that largely disappeared after 2001. With trusted traveller verification, advance approval and TSA screening supporting the programme, airports including Las Vegas, Dallas and other participating locations are reshaping the passenger experience. Gateside represents a balance between emotional connections and modern airport security in the evolving future of US air travel.