Omaha’s Eppley Airfield is one of 13 airports nationwide chosen for a pilot program that will allow some visitors past airport security without a plane ticket.
The Gateside by TSA PreCheck pilot program allows certain visitors through security even if they’re not flying. The program is the first reversal in a post-9/11 world of policies that restricted access beyond security checkpoints to ticketed passengers and authorized personnel.
Anyone with TSA PreCheck is eligible to apply for the program but must submit an online form for a “Visitor Pass” one to three days before their planned airport visit. Besides Omaha, the participating airports are:
- Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Michigan
- Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in Kansas
- Indianapolis International Airport in Indiana
- Harry Reid International Airport in Nevada
- Los Angeles International Airport in California
- Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Arkansas
- Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma
- San Diego International Airport in California
- Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah
The TSA website called the change “an exclusive benefit for our most trusted travelers.”
“This new program makes it easier to return to the gate for welcomes and send-offs, meet friends during a layover and enjoy dining and shopping along the way, bringing back the moments that once defined air travel.”
More airports could enroll in the program in coming months. The TSA said online that availability may be limited during peak times, and Gateside visitors are held to the same airport code of conduct rules as ticketed passengers.
The pilot program comes to Omaha amid a $950 million renovation of Eppley Airfield — the largest updates to the airport in more than 40 years. The project is expected to be complete in 2028.