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.
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.