Remember the days when you could walk your spouse or kid to the airport gate in order to give them a proper sendoff? Well, since the September 11th attacks those days have been gone, with only ticketed passengers allowed past security, but that may soon be changing.
Starting next week, Pittsburgh International Airport will start allowing non-ticketed passengers into gate-side terminal areas. The “myPitpass” program kicks off Tuesday, and will run only on weekdays between 9am and 5pm, with non-fliers who want to access the gate area needing to request a day-pass at a counter in the ticketing area.
And yes, those who get the passes will still have to go through TSA security just like everyone else (and will have to show ID to make sure they aren’t on any watch lists). On the downside, their security wait will probably be longer than most since the TSA plans to give passengers priority through security during peak times.
Unfortunately, this change may not be coming to other airports anytime soon. TSA spokesman Mike England says this is specifically a local arrangement and “is not part of a larger nationwide initiative.”
Source: USA Today