San Diego Airport SAN Pass Opens Gates To Non Flyers
Key points
- San Diego International Airport now offers a free SAN Pass for non ticketed visitors
- Applications are available the same day or up to seven days in advance with limited daily capacity
- SAN Pass holders clear standard TSA screening and cannot use PreCheck or CLEAR
- The pass is digital only and must be shown on a mobile device along with a TSA approved photo ID
- Minors need their own SAN Pass and must stay with an approved adult who can escort up to three children
Impact
- Who Is Eligible
- Anyone not flying that day can request a free SAN Pass to visit Terminal 1 or 2, including local residents, friends, and family members.
- How To Apply
- Visitors submit basic ID details online and receive a digital pass by email once TSA approves their request.
- Security Experience
- SAN Pass users go through the general screening lanes, follow all standard TSA rules, and cannot use trusted traveler lanes or CLEAR kiosks.
- Family And Friends
- The program makes it easier to meet loved ones at the gate, spend extra time before departure, or enjoy airport dining together.
- Trip Planning
- Because capacity is capped each day and dates can sell out, travelers who want gateside goodbyes or reunions should apply several days in advance.
San Diego International Airport, the busy single runway gateway overlooking San Diego Bay, has just made it easier for locals to enjoy its terminals even when they are not flying. The airport authority has launched SAN Pass, a free program that lets non ticketed visitors clear security and spend time in the post security areas of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
The move plugs San Diego into a growing trend among United States airports that are cautiously reopening concourses to so called terminal tourists while keeping federal security rules intact.
How the SAN Pass program works
SAN Pass is essentially a digital gate pass. Visitors start by applying online, either on the day they want to visit or up to seven days in advance. If a particular date does not appear in the drop down menu, that day's allocation of passes has already sold out.
To apply, you submit your full legal name, date of birth, and gender exactly as they appear on a TSA approved photo ID. The airport forwards requests to TSA for vetting against federal security databases. For advance applications, approvals arrive by email just after midnight on the day of the visit, while same day applications typically get a response in about fifteen minutes.
If approved, the SAN Pass arrives as a PDF attachment in your email. There is no paper option. At the airport, you join the general screening line at Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, open the SAN Pass on your phone, and present it along with your TSA approved ID to the officer at the checkpoint. Printed copies will not be accepted, so visitors need a charged device and a readable screen.
Once you clear security, you can do almost anything a ticketed passenger can do except board a flight. You can walk friends or family to their gate, meet an arriving traveler as they step off a domestic flight, or simply explore the restaurants, bars, art, and views in the renovated terminals.
Rules, limits, and Real ID requirements
Although the program is free, it is not unlimited. San Diego International Airport caps SAN Pass volume each day and issues passes on a first come, first served basis, subject to TSA approval. The airport does not publicly list the daily quota, but the quick sellout language on the application page makes it clear that popular dates, like holidays and major events, will fill up early.
SAN Pass users must follow the same security rules as regular passengers. They go through standard TSA screening, must comply with all prohibited item lists, and cannot bring anything through the checkpoint that would not be allowed in carry on luggage. Trusted traveler shortcuts are off the table, which means no TSA PreCheck lane, no CLEAR pod, and no other expedited security options while using a SAN Pass.
Identification rules are also tightening. Any valid TSA approved photo ID works today, but the SAN Pass FAQ flags the federal Real ID deadline. Beginning May 7, 2025, visitors who use a state issued driver's license or ID card at San Diego will need a Real ID compliant version to pass the checkpoint, whether they are flying or visiting on a SAN Pass.
The airport also warns that the program can be adjusted, suspended, or canceled at any time if security conditions or terminal operations require it. Anyone who creates a disruption, interferes with staff, or uses the pass to bypass employee badging rules can be removed from the airport and lose access to the program.
Families, minors, and accessibility
Families get some extra flexibility, but there are strict rules. Minors can use SAN Pass, although every child must have their own individual pass, and parents or guardians must add them as additional visitors when they apply. On the day, adults must carry both their own SAN Pass and each minor's pass, and children must stay with an approved adult holder at all times. One adult can supervise up to three minors.
If you are picking up or dropping off an unaccompanied minor who is flying alone, the airport says you should work directly with the airline instead of using SAN Pass. Airlines issue their own gate passes for unaccompanied minor handling and escort.
SAN notes that wheelchairs at the airport are assigned first to ticketed passengers. SAN Pass visitors who need mobility assistance are encouraged to bring their own wheelchair or other mobility aids, which TSA will screen along with them at the checkpoint.
How SAN Pass fits into the broader terminal tourism trend
San Diego is not the first United States airport to open its concourses to non flyers, but it is joining a relatively small club. Seattle Tacoma International Airport has offered the SEA Visitor Pass for years, with up to 300 daily visitors allowed beyond security. Detroit Metropolitan Airport runs the DTW Destination Pass, which uses kiosks inside the terminal to issue same day passes from 4 a m to 9 p m. Tampa International operates TPA All Access, which lets visitors book specific two hour check in windows to enjoy its four airsides.
Travel and consumer media increasingly group these initiatives under a broader terminal tourism trend, in which airports market their post security spaces as destinations in their own right, complete with local restaurants, art, and public events. For San Diego, SAN Pass dovetails neatly with its heavily refreshed Terminal 1 and established dining and art scene in Terminal 2, turning the airport into a place where locals might meet for a meal or watch planes even when they do not have a ticket in hand.
What travelers and locals should do now
For visitors who want to use SAN Pass to meet a loved one at the gate or spend extra time together before a flight, the main takeaway is timing. Because passes are limited each day and approvals for advance applications only go out after midnight on the day of your visit, it pays to submit the request as soon as your plans are firm and to watch your email closely before driving to the airport.
Once inside the terminal, treat the visit as you would any flight day, with enough time for security queues, sensible packing that respects TSA rules, and a clear plan for when you and your traveler will part ways. For locals curious about the new Terminal 1, SAN Pass also offers an excuse free way to check out the upgraded design, public art, and views of the bay without booking a ticket.
San Diego's move will not roll back post 9 11 security, and it will not suddenly turn the airport into a shopping mall for anyone who feels like strolling in. It will, however, give a limited number of screened visitors a legal, structured path to enjoy the airport's best spaces, and it hints at a future where more United States hubs cautiously welcome terminal tourists back inside.