US Airports allow non-traveling public past security entrances for first time in decades
US airports are starting to allow non-ticketed guests to get past security for the first time in decades, but they must meet the requirements. The new program meant to allow guests to meet travelers at the gate – just like in the iconic Christmas movie Love Actually – or to enjoy airport amenities like shopping or dining.
Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport in California is the latest airport offering passes for non-ticketed guests to go past Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. This is the first time non-ticketed guests will be able to bypass security without a boarding pass since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
But to get past the checkpoint, non-flyers must be approved for the “OAK pass,” the airport announced on Monday. Guests can apply online up to 7 days before their visit to receive a pass via email. Visitors will go through the TSA checkpoint with their digital pass, as well as their Real ID or passport to enter the secure area of the airport. The program is meant to boost traffic to Oakland International Airport, which has stagnated since the pandemic.
There was a 31% decline in airport visitors from January to the end of September 2025, compared to the same period in 2019, according to SFGate. “That decision was made, of course, it’s going to generate more people coming into Oakland’s airport,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee told local ABC affiliate KGO. “We’re still on the move. We want to make Oakland the most convenient airport, which it is, but people need to know.”
The first airport to offer a guest pass was Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in 2018.
Detroit Metropolitan Airport began their “destination pass” in 2019 after Seattle’s success.
Philadelphia International Airport started its “wingmate pass” in 2023 and announced this year that it was expanding the program.
“Guests have been able to meet up with friends they haven’t seen in years or take an older relative to their gate and see them off – things they weren’t able to do before PHL offered this amenity,” Philadelphia Airport Director of Marketing and Branding Megan O’Connell said in a statement in February.
Several other airports rolled out their guest pass system in 2025. San Antonio International Airport has a “SAT Pass,” launched in February, that allows 50 non-ticketed guests to enter the secure area at a time. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has a “hangout pass,” which rolled out in August, and Kansas City International Airport announced its “guest pass” in June.
The Oakland airport noted that the OAK pass is not a permanent program. “In response to exigent circumstances or operational needs, the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel the program, cancel approved OAK Guest Passes or modify program rules at any time without prior notice,” the airport said.
