09/07/2026
New for DTW (and several other airports) … like the good ‘ole days! ✈️
The TSA has just launched Gateside by TSA PreCheck, a program that lets people without a plane ticket go through security and into the terminal.
It is live at 13 airports: Dallas Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Detroit, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Indianapolis, Columbus, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Omaha, Wichita and Mesa Gateway. The TSA says more will follow in the coming months.
How it works: you need TSA PreCheck or a Known Traveler Number. You apply through the TSA portal 1 to 3 days before your visit. If approved, you bring valid ID to the PreCheck lane and clear the same screening as everyone flying that day. Children can come on a parent or guardian's reservation.
The pass is free, valid for one calendar day, and it is not a boarding pass. Approval is not guaranteed, and access can be limited during busy periods.
Newsweek called it a limited reversal of one of the most visible security changes made after 9/11. Before the attacks, anyone could walk to a gate. Afterward, access beyond the checkpoint was restricted to ticketed passengers, with narrow exceptions for unaccompanied children, passengers needing assistance and military members.
For 25 years, goodbye happened at the security line.
This did not start with the TSA. Pittsburgh International launched myPITpass in 2017, and 20 more airports have followed with free passes open to anyone, not just PreCheck members.
