Some Oklahoma airport visitors will be able to greet family, friends at airport gates again

Sep 14, 2026 | 4:25 pm ET

By Barbara Hoberock

Some Oklahoma airport visitors will be able to greet family, friends at airport gates again

Travelers stand in a long line at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday, March 23, 2026, the same day federal immigration officials started assisting with airport security. (Photo by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)

OKLAHOMA CITY – For the first time in more than two decades, some non-ticketed airport visitors will be able to greet and say good-bye to airplane passengers at the gate.

The Transportation Security Administration will now allow PreCheck members to accompany family members and loved ones to the gate, greet arriving passengers and use airport facilities and restaurants without taking a flight at 13 airports, including Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City. The program is called Gateside.

TSA PreCheck members must request a pass to go beyond the security checkpoint one to three days before the visit.

Applicants must enter their TSA PreCheck Known Traveler Number and select a participating airport.

After completing the online process, approved participants must present a REAL ID or other acceptable form of identification, such as a passport, at the TSA checkpoint. Visitors will be subject to TSA screening.

Those enrolled in TSA’s prescreening program, who pay a fee of $85 or less, are given quicker access through security lines to get to airport gates. They are allowed to leave electronics in a bag and don’t have to remove jackets, shoes and belts when going through airport security checkpoints.

TSA said the new initiative will make “the airport experience more seamless, convenient and family friendly” while maintaining security.

Airport visitors were last allowed at the flight gate without a ticket 25 years ago. That access was halted following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Other airports participating in the Gateside program include: