Weeks the deadline for obtaining Real ID, the TSA is telling travelers that they do not have a real ID that arrive early to the airport since “they may not be admitted to the control point.”
Key data
As of May 7, travelers who do not have an identity document that complies with the real ID regulations must “expect additional controls” that can cause “delays and the possibility that they are not allowed to enter the control post, and that includes our TSA Precheck passengers,” a senior official of the transport security administration (TSA) told Forbes, and added that 80 % of the members of TSA Precheck have a passport.
“We are used to dealing with people who lose their wallets and identifications,” said the official, “and we have ways to verify passengers and make sure that the person in front of us is the one who claims to be.”
“The goal is not to affect passengers who are prepared with their real ID, passport or other form of acceptable identification,” said the official. The application of the law “may be different in each airport” and safety ranks may be longer in smaller airports where “we do not have the option of establishing a separate lane for those who do not have a real ID,” said the official.
Passengers without credentials traveling with a round trip ticket run the risk of being authorized for the first leg but not for the return, said the official, “since additional controls will be carried out every time they pass through a TSA control post at a Federal Airport.”
Key history
The deadline of May 7 for the Real ID law has been brewing for two decades. Promulgated by Congress after the 11-S terrorist attack in the United States, the 2005 real ID law requires a stricter set of minimum security standards for the issuance of driver’s licenses and state identification cards, necessary to enter federal buildings and fly within the country. The original deadline for compliance was 2008, but it was not until 2020 that all states made their driving licenses comply with the real law ID. The term of entry into force was further delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic due to delays in motor vehicle offices.
What are the acceptable forms of identification?
The TSA offers an online questionnaire to help travelers determine whether their state driver’s license is a standard identification or a real ID. In general, the real ID has a star in the upper right corner. The TSA accepts more than a dozen other types of identification, such as passports, passport cards, military identifications, reliable DHS traveler cards (Global Entry, Nexus, Sentri, Fast) and permanent US resident cards Both, ”said the TSA official.
Large number
2.1 to 2.7 million. That is the number of passengers that were reviewed daily so far in April in the security controls of the airports throughout the country, according to the performance data of the TSA. In January, a government report estimated that only 56 % of Americans would have a real identification ID issued by the State for the deadline of May 7. In a press release last week, the TSA said that 81 % of travelers in the TSA controls currently have an acceptable credential. That leaves 19 % of passengers who arrive at airports without an identification that complies with the Royal ID, or potentially between 400,000 and 513,000 passengers that could be subject to additional reviews every day in the first weeks of application of the law.
Cita Crucial
“We knew it would be complex to implement, but we were not going to postpone it anymore,” said the TSA official to Forbes. “It has been 20 years. We are doing it.”
What should passengers expect?
The objective of the TSA is “to implement this so that it does not affect the operation excessively during the highest influx,” said the official, adding that travelers with a real ID identification must arrive at the airport two hours before the exit, “like any other flight.” Those who do not have an official identification must wait one more hour, “since it is very likely to face some of these additional control measures.”
What do airlines say?
“I hope that date will be extended again, and I hope the same thing happens when it happens again,” said United Airlines Operations Director Andrew Nocella on Wednesday, investors during the presentation of results of the company’s first quarter. He added: “We are working on this with the government and I think we will have more to say about it.” The TSA insists on its commitment to implement the regulations as a whole as of May 7. “We have held regular conversations with the industry throughout this process, even in recent days,” said a senior TSA official to Forbes, adding: “We are very aware of how this will affect the industry and we want to continue collaborating to minimize this impact. They cannot say that we do not communicate, because we have been sharing information with them and providing information.”
What we don’t know
How much disruption will we see at the airports with the beginning of the application of the Royal ID. While airlines have been warning of passengers about imminent change for months, they recognize that some passengers that ignore the warnings will see their disrupted travel plans. “I will let Andrew’s words speak for themselves,” said Charlie Hobart, a spokesman for United, Forbes by email. He added that the airline has reminded its clients repeatedly in recent months that the documentation that complies with the real ID as of May 7 must present. Delta Air Lines “will work in case to relocate customers to lose flights due to mitigating circumstances once at the airport,” said the Atlanta headquarters to Forbes.
Tangent
In some states, the TSA accepts mobile driving licenses that comply with the real ID standard in airports equipped with digital identification readers (who use facial recognition) instead of traditional paper media, such as a driver’s license or a passport.
This article was originally published by Forbes Us.
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