Airport security checkpoints have been the end of the line since soon after the 9/11 attacks for most friends and relatives who want to see off departing passengers. That is changing at some U.S. airports.
The Transportation Security Administration is allowing eligible TSA PreCheck members without tickets to pass through security and enter gate areas, reviving a tradition that largely disappeared after the attacks 25 years ago this week.
The program, called Gateside by TSA PreCheck" is free, but interested members must apply online one to three days before their planned visits and receive approval before going to the airport. If approved, they can enter security using a TSA PreCheck lane with an acceptable form of identification. The passes are valid for one calendar day, but reentries are allowed on that day.
I don’t see how they do that without having to check ID’s at the gates in addition to at TSA… once you have non-travelers allowed back to the gates it’s easy to switch places and you don’t know who is going where…
Somehow, this wasn’t a problem 25 years ago.
Oh stowaways was a huge problem in the 70’s and 80’s… less so as electronic ticket scanners became a thing… but there was always someone doing the “I just need to bring my husband/wife/son something” and hiding out in the Lav until takeoff…hoping for an empty seat to settle into…
Where would they get the extra boarding pass? Also, that’s a problem solved with electronic scanning, not with TSA checkpoints.
I don’t have info here for a full system, but my airport is one of these that allows the non-passengers through TSA permission. When you scan your boarding pass at the jet bridge to get on the plane, a picture of your face comes up on the display and the airline gate worker appears to verify the person with the boarding pass matches the person entering.
You still have to have a valid ticket to board the plane. So I’m not sure what the concern would be.
You give your boarding pass to someone else and they get on the plane instead. Doesn’t seem that complicated.
The person was pre-cleared by TSA, aka who really cares if they swapped places. They were already cleared to not be a threat as much as the person with the ticket?
If you are on a no fly list or have a warrant out for your arrest, I assume you won’t pass the TSA pre-check.
And when the ID match and picture check at the gate doesn’t pass? Have you flown, like, ever?
I’m a twin, and I’m not sure my clone could pass on my ticket and passport. It’s not complicated, but it’s better security than TSA.
Ive never once been asked to show ID at the gate on any domestic flight in the US and fly several times a year. On this most recent trip I was asked to show my passport when boarding in Honolulu to Tokyo and again when boarding in Osaka to Honolulu but that’s it.
Someone else mentioned that gate agents can see your photo when they scan your boarding pass and someone else pointed out that you have to already be cleared by TSA pre-check to even make it this far, so it’s not something I’m even concerned about. I was just answering the question of how someone could swap places with a ticket holder to board a flight.
Ive never once been asked to show ID at the gate on any domestic flight in the US and fly several times a year. On this most recent trip I was asked to show my passport when boarding in Honolulu to Tokyo and again when boarding in Osaka to Honolulu but that’s it.
Someone else mentioned that gate agents can see your photo when they scan your boarding pass and someone else pointed out that you have to already be cleared by TSA pre-check to even make it this far, so it’s not something I’m even concerned about. I was just answering the question of how someone could swap places with a ticket holder to board a flight.
Person-A has a ticket, Person-B accompanies to the gate… switching places with Person-A because who knows why…
I mean, neither method makes sense… I’d rather they ID check at boarding and forget the whole massive choke point that is the TSA checkin…
Are we worried about people doing crimes on the plane, or just generally worried about controlling what people do and where they go?
Why is it your concern if someone goes to a different place than they said they would?
I think they’re probably worried aboutnall or those things.
From a security perspective, if two people and the luggage clear screening, and one ticketed person proceeds to fly with the luggage, then it doesn’t matter which one of them it was, right? I’m sure it’s against the rules and the airlines might care. But just gaming the scenario out, I don’t see how a pre-screened gate visitor changes the security posture as long as one of them boards the plane with the luggage.
I think that’s more about making sure they know who is flying…it’s more about accountability than it is managing who is travelling. So much of our airport security is performative, it doesn’t actually matter… They don’t care that Bob blew the plane up, they care that they can put a picture on TV saying “This is who did it”
I’m not sure why someone would want to do this and even if they did I’m not sure why it would be a major issue.
With facial recognition and other shit they might not even care anymore.
It’s possible… My opinion on it is kinda worthless…I don’t fly anymore… Last plane trip I took was in 2019. I’m at the point where if I can’t drive there, I have no interest in going.