In September 2026, TSA launched Gateside by TSA PreCheck — a free pilot program that lets eligible visitors pass through security without a boarding pass, to walk someone to their gate, meet an arriving flight, or grab dinner past the checkpoint. The catch: you need a Known Traveler Number to apply, and Global Entry membership already gets you one.
Gateside doesn't run its own vetting — it checks whether you already hold a Known Traveler Number (KTN) through TSA PreCheck or a program that includes it. Global Entry is one of those programs: full TSA PreCheck benefits, KTN included, are part of every Global Entry membership from the moment you're approved. So if you already have Global Entry for the customs line, you're already Gateside-eligible — there's nothing extra to enroll in.
If you don't have either yet, this is one more line item on the "is Global Entry worth it" ledger: for a few dollars more than PreCheck alone, you get faster domestic security, expedited customs on international arrival, and now a free pass into the terminal to see someone off.
TSA has said more airports will join the pilot over time — check the official Gateside page for the current list before you plan a trip around it.
As of September 2026, 19 of the 126 Global Entry enrollment centers we monitor list no open interviews at all, and another 2 have nothing within the next two months. If you're conditionally approved and stuck waiting on an interview slot, that's exactly what Haya watches for.
Cancelled interview slots open up every day — they're just gone within minutes. Haya watches the official CBP scheduler every 5 minutes, around the clock, and alerts you the moment a slot opens at your enrollment center. Email alerts are free; push and SMS alerts for near-term slots are on Pro.
Get free appointment alerts →Gateside is a TSA pilot program, launched in September 2026, that lets eligible non-ticketed visitors pass through security and into the terminal at participating airports — to walk a departing traveler to their gate, greet someone arriving, or just get dinner past security. It's free, but approval isn't automatic: participating airports cap the number of Gateside visitors each day based on checkpoint capacity.
Yes. Gateside eligibility runs through TSA PreCheck: you need a Known Traveler Number (KTN) tied to an active PreCheck-eligible membership. A Global Entry membership already includes full TSA PreCheck benefits and issues you a KTN the moment you're approved, so every Global Entry member is Gateside-eligible with no separate enrollment — one more reason the $120 fee buys more than faster security lines.
Plain TSA PreCheck works too — Gateside checks for a valid KTN, not which program issued it. Global Entry is simply the better $120 if you ever fly internationally: it costs about the same as PreCheck once you account for PreCheck's shorter validity, and it adds expedited US customs re-entry and NEXUS/SENTRI-adjacent perks that PreCheck alone doesn't. See our full comparison of Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, NEXUS, and SENTRI.
Through the Gateside by TSA PreCheck website: sign in with (or create) a login.gov account, enter your information exactly as it appears on your TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application, and submit your request. You can apply 1 to 3 days before your planned visit — no earlier — and then watch for an approval notice, since the airport may not have capacity that day.
Yes, there is no charge for a Gateside pass itself. The only cost is whatever got you a Known Traveler Number in the first place — Global Entry ($120 for five years, often reimbursed by a travel credit card) or TSA PreCheck alone (about $78).
TSA launched the pilot at 13 airports and has said more will join over time. Always check the official TSA Gateside page for the current list before planning around it — the list below is the launch set.
A pass is good for one calendar day, and you go through standard screening — Touchless ID lanes aren't available to Gateside visitors. At an airport that already runs its own gate pass program, Gateside visitors are barred from the regular PreCheck lanes. And approval isn't guaranteed: each airport limits how many Gateside visitors it accepts per day, with availability tightening during busy travel periods.
Not directly. Gateside requires an existing Known Traveler Number, so there's no walk-up option for a first-time visitor. If you expect to want gate access again, applying for Global Entry (or TSA PreCheck) is the prerequisite — and if you already have an international trip planned, Global Entry pays for itself with the customs benefit alone.