PNS Welcomes Gateside by TSA PreCheck

Pensacola International Airport (PNS) is making room for a little more time together. Beginning today, Gateside by TSA PreCheck allows approved visitors with active TSA PreCheck memberships to pass through security without a boarding pass.

For Pensacola residents, that could mean walking alongside a family member before a departure, being at the gate when a loved one arrives or stopping by airport concessions. It is one more way PNS is working to make the airport experience feel personal as more travelers choose to fly through Pensacola.

“Our airport is growing, but the things people love about their hometown airport should grow with it,” said Pensacola International Airport Executive Director Matt Coughlin. “We hear how much it means to be there for a goodbye or a welcome home. Gateside gives eligible visitors another way to share those moments, and it’s the kind of experience we want to keep making possible at PNS.”

How to visit PNS with Gateside:

1. Apply online through TSA’s official Gateside portal one to three days before your planned visit. You must be an active TSA PreCheck member.
2. Wait for approval. Your TSA PreCheck membership alone does not allow you through the checkpoint without an approved Gateside pass.
3. Bring acceptable identification to the PNS security checkpoint on the date of your approved visit. TSA will verify your pass electronically.
4. Go through screening in a TSA PreCheck lane. Once screened, you may enter the terminal beyond security.

Gateside passes are valid for one calendar day and allow re-entry on that date. Visitors planning to see someone off should leave enough time for security screening before the traveler’s flight boards.

Gateside adds another way to visit the terminal beyond security. Airlines’ existing gate pass programs will continue under their respective policies.

As PNS expands to serve a growing region and more than 3 million annual passengers, the airport remains focused on what our travelers value: an easy trip and a warm welcome that still feels like Pensacola.

To learn more or apply, visit tsa.gov/precheck/gateside-tsa-precheck.