TSA's New 'eGates' Let You Breeze Through Airport Security Without Stopping (Here's Where They're Being Tested)

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is unveiling new "eGates" this year. Already a common practice in European airports, electronic gates would allow you to breeze through airport security without stopping or spending an hour waiting in line to get into the country. While you may not get a stamp on your passport at the airport anymore, anyone who has gone through e-gates while traveling abroad knows that the process is a game-changer when it comes to air travel.

A new public-private partnership between the TSA and identity verification company CLEAR is allowing the agency to test out the eGates at three major U.S. airports at no cost to taxpayers. The electronic gates use biometric face scans to allow you to go through security without waiting for a TSA agent. The technology matches passengers' faces to their IDs and boarding passes. TSA Acting Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl said about the move in a press conference, "eGates accomplish several objectives toward achieving Secretary Noem's goal to enhance TSA security and hospitality. This includes creating a seamless, less invasive traveler experience and shorter wait times at TSA security checkpoints."

For anyone who travels out of the country frequently, these also aren't a revolutionary new technology, but an area where American airports fall behind. And we may have European travelers to thank, as the idea has been put forward as an extra security measure ahead of the U.S. hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada. Airport security could get a lot faster if TSA decides to move forward with eGates in every airport in the country. The airport experience has gotten worse and worse in recent times, but this move may just help make it better.

At this time, eGates are expected to appear in three major airports in the United States. CLEAR and the TSA will conduct a pilot program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (where gates have already been installed), Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. If you're traveling through one of these airports in the next year, now may be the time to upgrade to a pre-clearance option to use them.

In their initial stages, the eGates will be available only to CLEAR Plus members who opt in to using them. However, the company hopes to expand access to the general public and tourists visiting the U.S. in the near future. Next year, over 20 million people are expected to travel to the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the eGates should help provide additional security and relieve long lines at airport security. Hopefully, the gates will be operational for more local travelers on that timeline as well. With changes like this, you won't even need an airport hack to lower the time spent waiting in long lines.

TSA has been relying on biometrics for a while now; even if you haven't gone through an electronic gate, you've likely had your face scanned at airport security. American bureaucracy has a love-hate relationship with surveillance, so this has caused some bipartisan pushback in Congress. Last November, lawmakers called for the Department of Homeland Security to review how facial recognition software was being used by the TSA. DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari confirmed this year that his office does have plans to investigate how the tech is being implemented.