AIRFARE Act

The AIRFARE Act would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to create a system at domestic airports to speed up gate passes and flight access for caregivers, parents, and guardians who are accompanying minors or passengers needing assistance (such as people using wheelchairs). Within 180 days of enactment, TSA must implement this system, allowing air carriers to issue up to two gate passes per departing flight for these accompanying individuals. Gate passes could reflect the holder’s TSA PreCheck status through Known Traveler Numbers, just as that status appears on tickets. A specific safeguard requires that, when a passenger needing assistance uses a wheelchair, the caregiver who receives the gate pass must be the person pushing the wheelchair. The bill is intended to make it easier for families and others needing assistance to travel without unduly delaying flights, while integrating with existing PreCheck processes.