Kristi Johnson spent her Wednesday morning at the Salt Lake City airport, waiting to pick up her son who was returning from a three-week trip to Argentina.
While her son deplaned and made his way through the airport, Johnson sat on a bench outside the security checkpoint, thinking about another time when she waited to see her son after a long flight from Argentina: the day he returned from his two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Today, she was happy to wait where she was. However, “if it was when he was coming home as a missionary,” Johnson said, “then I totally would have been there right as he got off the plane because I would be so excited to see him.”
When Johnson’s son returned home from his mission, there wasn’t a way for his mom to greet him at the gate. A new program announced by TSA is changing that.
TSA’s new “Gateside” program allows unticketed TSA PreCheck members or those with known traveler numbers to access gate areas in 13 airports across the country, including Salt Lake City.
“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.
Of note: The Gateside program is free but only accessible to TSA PreCheck members, which has a $60-$80 fee for five years.
Post-security access for unticketed patrons has been restricted for more than two decades since the 9/11 attacks tightened airport security in 2001.
Now the Gateside program is bringing changes — changes that some welcome and others are wary of.
“I think it’s good in some ways,” Johnson said. But, she added, she worries the program will “make the gates even crazier.”
“It feels so busy back there already,” Johnson said. “Overall I think it’s going to make it busier.”
Some welcome Gateside while others worry about side effects
Matt Cannon, who was at the airport Wednesday waiting outside security to welcome business colleagues, has a son who will be coming home from a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ this week. Cannon and his daughter have been debating if they want to meet him at the gate or wait post-security.
“It seems like a nice option,” Cannon said, referring to meeting his son right at the gate. But Cannon, like Johnson, worries about how increasing visitors behind security might “overcrowd the security belt.”
Not all patrons share this concern, however.
Davie Merkeley, another Salt Lake City Airport patron who was waiting to greet a loved one outside security, said the layout of the airport is equipped to handle big groups.
When asked if he would want to meet his loved ones at the gate, he said he “would totally do that in a heartbeat.”
“Before, I’ll neither confirm nor deny that I bought a ticket to get down to the gate and then turned it in afterwards,” Merkeley said. Gateside might save him the hassle.
How does Gateside work?
Interested PreCheck members can complete a free online application at least one day in advance, and no more than three days before their visit. If approved, members are then allowed to pass through security on the day of their reservation using only an acceptable form of ID.
Children are eligible to pass through as well, if joined by a parent who included the child on their reservation.
Passes are valid for one calendar day with reentry allowed on that day. The TSA notes that airports may place limits on the number of passes issued each day and pass availability may be limited during peak travel times.
Though some airlines can issue gate passes, Gateside is unique in that its use is not limited to specific instances, such as accompanying a minor, military member or a person with disabilities. Additionally, Gateside members can pass through TSA PreCheck screening lanes as opposed to standard screening lanes.
What airports are implementing Gateside?
Gateside is available at 13 airports to start, with expansion to other airports expected soon, according to TSA.
The current participating airports include:
- Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) in Arizona
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Ohio
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in Texas
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) in Michigan
- Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT) in Kansas
- Indianapolis International Airport (IND) in Indiana
- Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Nevada
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in California
- Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Arkansas
- Will Rogers International Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma
- Eppley Airfield (OMA) in Nebraska
- San Diego International Airport (SAN) in California
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) in Utah