Arabic version: إدارة أمن النقل تعيد إتاحة الوصول إلى البوابات لبعض المسافرين الأميركيين

According to BBC News, the Transportation Security Administration will soon let some people without airline tickets pass through security to airport gates to meet or see off loved ones. The Gateside TSA PreCheck programme will be offered at 13 airports across the United States, marking a return of a practice largely ended after the 11 September attacks.

Americans enrolled in TSA PreCheck or holding a known traveller number will be first eligible for the policy. Those with TSA PreCheck who want to visit a gate without a ticket can apply online between one and three days before their planned airport visit. TSA said the programme would make it easier for people to welcome and send off travellers, meet friends during layovers, and use airport dining and shopping.

The agency is also considering allowing some TSA PreCheck passengers to carry full water bottles through security, according to US media reports. TSA did not respond to a BBC request for confirmation. Such a move would reverse restrictions introduced after a foiled 2006 UK terror plot involving plans to smuggle liquid chemical mixtures in soft-drink and sports-drink bottles.

Jeff Price, an aviation security expert and professor at Metro State University Denver, said improved technology could explain the changes rather than any reduction in security standards. He said newer machines being installed by TSA have computed tomography capabilities and can better detect liquid-based explosives. TSA last year ended the requirement for passengers to remove shoes at security screenings, a policy that had been in place for two decades.

Reaction on social media was mixed, with some users welcoming a return to earlier air-travel routines and others questioning safety. Price said the changes should not affect passenger safety provided core measures remain in place and standards stay high.