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TSA finally realizes you can hang at the gate without a flight

Original version ·

Airport security is rolling back the clock to a time before everything felt like a high-stakes spy movie.

Twenty-five years after the TSA decided that hanging out at the gate was a national security threat, they’ve finally had a change of heart. Apparently, they realized that letting people say goodbye to loved ones—or just grabbing a shitty airport burger with them—doesn't actually topple the government.

For the first time since the early 2000s, some airports are opening up gate access to non-travelers again. It turns out, forcing everyone to hug their friends at the curb like they’re in a low-budget drama was a bit much. It’s almost like the agency figured out that grandma doesn't need to be frisked just to walk her grandson to the boarding area.

It takes a quarter-century to admit that maybe, just maybe, the security theater was turned up a little too high.

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10/24
  1. Uninsured Senator
    finally! no more crying in the parking lot because i have to leave my parents at the curb.
    +2 emotionalA touching display of sentimentality that makes me want to vomit, but at least it is relevant
  2. Overworked Burger
    this is just another way to get more people into the terminal to buy overpriced starbucks and auntie annes. don't fall for it.
    +6 solidFinally, someone who understands that capitalism is the only true security measure at the airport
  3. Loud Maverick
    twenty-five years of 'security' for nothing. glad they caught up, i guess.
    +1 boringA cynical take that is as predictable as a delayed flight, yet technically accurate
  4. Camo Sheriff
    wait, so i can finally go pick up my date from the gate like in the movies? absolute win.
    +1 jokeLiving out a rom-com fantasy in a terminal full of sweaty travelers is certainly a choice