> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # TSA's New Gate-Pass Pilot Covers 13 Airports. New Orleans Runs Its Own Instead. - URL: https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/tsas-new-gate-pass-pilot-covers-13-airports-new-orleans-runs-its-own-instead/ - Published: 2026-09-06T15:51:07.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-06T15:52:02.000Z - Description: A viral post says TSA now lets visitors into terminals without a ticket. That is half right. The new federal pilot reopens the gate at 13 airports, but only for travelers who already hold PreCheck. New Orleans is not on the list. It has run its own public guest pass since 2019. - Author: Kim M. Braud - Tags: News Analysis, All Stories, MSY, TSA Precheck NEWS ANALYSIS *Gateside by TSA PreCheck lets approved non-flyers back through security, but only if they already hold PreCheck. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International has offered a separate, public guest pass since 2019.* *By Kim M. Braud | September 6, 2026* --- A screenshot has been circulating this week from a New Orleans area account, passing along a television station's post: "TSA now allowing non-ticketed visitors into terminals at several U.S. airports." The caption underneath complained about traffic. The headline is accurate. It is also missing the two parts that decide whether it applies to you. Two things are true at once. The federal government is loosening one of the most visible security rules of the last two decades. And most of the people who see that post cannot use the new federal program at all. ## What the federal pilot actually does The Transportation Security Administration has launched a pilot called Gateside by TSA PreCheck. It allows approved non-travelers to pass through a checkpoint and enter the secure side of the terminal to meet arriving passengers, see someone off, or shop and eat. Visitors still clear the same screening as ticketed flyers. The catch is in the name. Gateside is a benefit of TSA PreCheck. To qualify, a visitor must already hold PreCheck or a Known Traveler Number. Applications go through Login.gov, one to three days before the visit. The pilot runs at 13 airports, including Dallas Fort Worth, Detroit, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and San Diego. New Orleans is not among them. > Gateside reopens the gate, but only for travelers who already carry a trusted-traveler credential. ## What New Orleans already has Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport has run its own gate pass since December 2019\. It is called the Indulge MSY Guest Pass, and it requires neither an airline ticket nor PreCheck. Any member of the public can apply. The requirements are a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or a valid passport, and clearance through the same TSA screening every flyer goes through. Approved visitors can go past security to the terminal's shops and restaurants, meet arriving domestic passengers, or spend the last hour with someone before a flight. The program runs seven days a week, and visitors must leave the secure area by 8 p.m. Registration is online, up to seven days ahead, or in person at self-service kiosks on Level 1 near baggage claim. Passes are capped each day and are not guaranteed during peak periods. > The federal pilot is national but narrow. New Orleans built something local and open. ## Why the distinction matters Read quickly, the viral post suggests a door swinging open everywhere. It is narrower than that, and in New Orleans it is also older news. A traveler here without PreCheck gains nothing new from the federal pilot. That same traveler could already walk into MSY under the Indulge pass, and could have since 2019. The larger story is the one the headline gestures at. Before September 2001, anyone could walk to the gate. The restriction that followed became so ordinary that its slow reversal now reads as novel. Airports have been quietly restoring gate access for years, one program at a time. MSY was an early adopter. The federal pilot is the same idea, scaled to a trusted-traveler tier. ## How to get a pass At MSY: apply for the Indulge MSY Guest Pass online at flymsy.com up to seven days before your visit, or use a kiosk on Level 1 between Doors 2 and 3\. Bring a REAL ID or passport. Arrive with time for screening, and plan to exit the secure area by 8 p.m. At a Gateside airport: confirm you hold PreCheck or a Known Traveler Number, then apply through the Gateside by TSA PreCheck page at tsa.gov, one to three days ahead. Use a PreCheck screening lane, not a Touchless ID lane. Verify it yourself: the federal program is documented at [https://www.tsa.gov/precheck/gateside-tsa-precheck](https://www.tsa.gov/precheck/gateside-tsa-precheck?ref=evanscutchmorepress.com) The New Orleans program is at [https://flymsy.com/msy-guest-pass/](https://flymsy.com/msy-guest-pass/?ref=evanscutchmorepress.com) --- *Kim M. Braud is the Founder & Editor of Evans Cutchmore Press, an independent newsroom covering Louisiana and the Gulf South. Her reporting focuses on government accountability, infrastructure, business, culture, and the public policies that shape communities.* *© 2026 Evans Cutchmore Press. All rights reserved.* --- [SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSROOM](https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/subscribe/)