By Jordan Parker
Aviation Reporter
Special to the Florida Courier
The Transportation Security Administration has launched a program that will allow nonflyers past security checkpoints at more than a dozen U.S. airports, including DFW International Airport.
The program, called Gateside, is available for TSA PreCheck members at 13 airports across the country. DFW Airport, the central hub of American Airlines, is the only Texas airport participating in the program so far. Gateside can be used for activities like meeting family members at their gate, eating lunch with a friend during a long layover, visiting airport restaurants and shops, and meeting service members returning from deployment, the TSA said.
The increased access for eligible travelers is monumental considering the U.S. will remember the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that involved the crashing of four commercial aircraft, including two American planes, and some 3,000 lives lost. Following the attacks, travelers without a boarding pass were restricted from accessing the areas beyond security checkpoints.
Eligible travelers, TSA Pre-Check members with known traveler numbers, can apply for the free Gateside service one to three days prior to their visit to the airport, according to the agency’s website. If approved, travelers must arrive at the airport with an acceptable form of identification and head to the TSA PreCheck lanes.
