California airport considers customer entry past TSA checkpoints

Tearful gate-side goodbyes are making a comeback.

Fresno Yosemite Worldwide Airport is weighing a large safety shakeup that would let guests breeze straight previous TSA — no aircraft ticket required.

For practically a quarter-century post-9/11, emotional send-offs and gate-side reunions had been utterly banned beneath federal safety mandates. Solely ticketed vacationers holding a boarding cross may step foot past the metallic detectors.

Mark Thorpe, Aviation Director for the Metropolis of Fresno, desires to tear these boundaries down.

“Whether or not it’s a household welcoming somebody house who’s been gone for a very long time, getting dinner on the airport or holding a enterprise assembly, an airport will help create all these completely different experiences for folks,” Thorpe informed the Fresno Bee in an interview.

California is at present main the nation with Ontario Worldwide Airport (ONT), San Diego Worldwide (SAN), Palm Springs Worldwide (PSP) and San Francisco Worldwide (SFO) already working non-passenger entry applications.

Thorpe mentioned that the transfer may elevate the passenger expertise and remind the neighborhood that “an airport is a novel place.”

“It creates a love and sort of a reference to that airport. And possibly, it means they wish to fly out of right here extra,” he added.

Earlier than shifting to Fresno, Thorpe served as Chief Government Officer on the Ontario Worldwide Airport (ONT), which already has an analogous provision in place.

The aviation director mentioned that increasing post-security entry will enable guests to dine and store alongside departing vacationers, producing income for the airport whereas granting family members further time collectively earlier than flights.

Flooding terminals with non-ticketed friends may doubtlessly pressure TSA staffing, inflate checkpoint wait instances and compromise the rigorously managed post-9/11 safety perimeter.

“Security and safety — nothing comes earlier than that. There are different thrilling issues on the airport. … However our core accountability is that security and safety ingredient,” Thorpe informed the information outlet.

Pittsburgh Worldwide Airport grew to become the primary main U.S. airport in 2017 to permit public entry to gates. As of June 2026, 21 US airports allowed non-ticketed guests to acquire a cross to undergo airport safety and into the terminal with out paying a dime.

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