These Airports Will Allow You to Meet Your Family and Friends at the Gate

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I’m old enough to remember what it was like to walk through airport security with my family so that we could all meet Grandma at the gate – and now, thanks to new TSA-approved tourist passes, some airports are allowing passengers to recreate the experience. …

As Bloomberg News explains, these passes were originally created as a way to increase “terminal tourism” (essentially treating an airport like a mall with attached planes). However, people quickly realized the real benefits of such airport access:

During the six-week Seattle-Tacoma experiment, the daily limit was 50 and about 1,100 people took advantage of it, most of whom surprised arriving passengers as they disembark, said Perry Cooper, a spokesman. “People were thrilled right away.”

If you want to meet your loved ones at the gate, here’s what you need to know:

Tourist passes are currently offered at three airports.

According to The Washington Post , there are currently three airports that allow people without tickets:

The SeaTac example mentioned above was a six-week experiment that has now ended; Detroit also has a pilot Destination Pass (pun) program that will end on January 5, 2020. The Washington Post notes that other airports, including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, are considering adding similar passes in the future.

The number of passes is limited

If you want to visit one of these three airports, escort a loved one to the gate, meet someone on arrival, or visit Florida’s only Potbelly sandwich shop (yes, there is only one Potbelly in the entire state, and it is located at the airport ), you need will plan ahead.

TPA requires you to request your pass online at least 24 hours in advance; DTW allows you to apply for a pass only the day before you plan to visit the airport. PIT does not offer online passes; instead, head to the airport on the day you want to visit and look for the myPITpass ticket office on the third floor of the ground terminal.

Each airport only offers passes on certain days, and two airports limit the number of passes available (to avoid overcrowding).

  • DTW offers passes Tuesday through Sunday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and limits these passes to 75 people per day.
  • TPA passes are only available on Saturdays from 8:00 to 20:00 and are limited to 25 people in the controlled area.
  • The PIT Pass is only available Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and groups of more than 15 people must contact the airport in advance.

All three airports allow minors to access these passes as well as adults, although they caution that minors must always be accompanied by an adult (which is pretty much your expectations).

You will still need to pass a security check

TSA safety regulations still apply: no water bottles, no prohibited items, and so on. Each of the three airports allows you to bring one personal item through security. The PIT offers an alternative security checkpoint for pass holders, but it looks like DTW and TPA require you to go through regular security (and DTW notes that Clear and TSA pre-holders won’t be able to use their allocated lanes). All three airports are warning ticket holders that, during periods of high congestion, passengers with tickets will have priority on security lines.

I wouldn’t be surprised if more airports start issuing such passes in the future. However, Bloomberg News notes that many airports are already overcrowded and adding more people might not be in the best interest of these properties, even if all passengers buy at least one trendy Toblerone airport (or, if they’re in Tampa, Potbelly Wreck) …

So use these passes while you can, but if you’re going to meet a loved one at the gate, don’t surprise them unless you know they really, really, really love surprises.

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