New TSA program allows visitors without tickets to go to airport gates

NPR | By Bill Chappell

Published September 9, 2026 at 3:44 AM CDT

A new federal program at 13 airports allows visitors with TSA PreCheck to pass checkpoints without a boarding pass to meet or drop off air travelers.

Bill Chappell

Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.

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