I've never walked anyone to their gate.

Not once. I was too young to remember flying before 2001, so that whole version of the airport only exists for me as other people's stories.

And the way older travelers describe it, it sounds like a different country. You parked, you walked in with whoever was leaving, and you stayed with them right up until the boarding door closed. You stood at the window and watched the plane push back. On the other end, you were standing at the jet bridge when they walked off. No waiting by baggage claim. No texting "I'm at door 4."

The goodbye wasn't happening at a rope with an agent watching. It just happened, at the gate, for as long as you wanted.

Then 2001 happened, and that was gone.

Here's the deal: this week, a piece of it came back.

It's called Gateside by TSA PreCheck.

If you have TSA PreCheck, you can now go through security and into the terminal without a plane ticket. You can meet someone coming off a flight. You can see someone off at the gate. You can sit down and eat with a friend during their layover.

It's free. If you already have PreCheck, there's nothing extra to pay.

This is the first real rollback of the gate rules that went up after 9/11. That's why it's a bigger deal than it sounds.

A few things to know before you promise anyone a send-off.

You have to apply ahead of time. One to three days before your visit. You can't pull up to the curb and decide to do this.

You need a Known Traveler Number. That's the number you already have if you're in PreCheck.

The pass is good for one calendar day. You can come and go more than once that day.

You still get screened. No ticket doesn't mean no security. You go through the PreCheck lane like everybody else.

Approval isn't guaranteed. Airports can cap how many passes they give out based on how busy they expect to be. Don't treat it as a sure thing.

Kids can come. They get added to a parent or guardian's application.

It's only at 13 airports right now:

Scan that list and you'll probably notice what I noticed. I fly out of Philadelphia. PHL isn't on it.

There are hundreds of commercial airports in this country, so 13 is a pilot program, not a national rollout. TSA said as much. They're watching how it affects security operations before deciding whether to expand.

And remember back in February, when PreCheck and Global Entry got suspended overnight during the shutdown, then came back a few hours later? The point is these rules move both ways, and they move fast.

If one of those 13 is your airport, this is the week to try it. Especially if someone's dropping you off or picking you up.

If it's not your airport, you're not out of luck. You're just early. This is a pilot, which means the list is going to grow. Learn the three day rule now and you won't be the person finding out about it at the counter.

And if you don't have PreCheck at all, new enrollment runs about $78 for five years. Plenty of travel credit cards cover the fee.

One more thing worth saying out loud. You paid for PreCheck to skip lines. TSA just added people with no flight to that same lane. The fact that airports are holding onto the right to cap daily passes tells you they already expect it to get crowded. Maybe it's fine. Maybe your Tuesday morning line gets noticeably worse.

Still, I'd trade a slightly slower line for the chance to finally do the thing I've only ever heard about.

Did you ever get to walk someone to their gate before 2001? What do you remember about it?

Keep Traveling,

Andrew