It could possibly be an attention-grabbing week at U.S. airport safety checkpoints, as a rule that has been 20 years within the making takes impact.
Starting Wednesday, May 7, the Transportation Security Administration will start imposing its long-delayed Real ID coverage.
To get by way of TSA checkpoints, vacationers will want to have an authorised driver’s license — one which has a star, or one other marking that exhibits it meets the TSA’s new customary. Or, they will want an appropriate substitute like a passport or Global Entry card.
Related: What will occur after May 7 if you do not have a Real ID?
Those who haven’t got one will seemingly nonetheless be allowed to fly, however they might face further screening measures; this consists of vacationers who usually take pleasure in expedited TSA PreCheck privileges.
“Most passengers — the ones that are ready — shouldn’t see much of a difference,” Mark Howell, TSA spokesperson for the Southeast U.S. area, informed TPG in an interview. “It’s really the people that don’t have their Real IDs or the other acceptable forms that are going to see some delays at the checkpoints.”
Still, the coverage change has some journey consultants fearing added wait occasions at checkpoints. The change has additionally fueled loads of confusion over what sort of ID would — and would not — be accepted instead of an authorised state driver’s license.
And with simply over 24 hours to go till the brand new identification customary (which was first ordered by Congress in 2005) takes impact, airports are busy getting ready.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — the governing physique for the New York City area’s three largest airports — expects the most important delays on Wednesday and Thursday, instantly after Real ID guidelines take impact.
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“Additional airport staff will be available to assist customers at terminals, but travelers should allow for extra time, especially during the first two days,” the authority mentioned in a publish. The Port Authority operates LaGuardia Airport (LGA), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
TSA: No change for passengers with a Real ID
Passengers who have already got an authorised Real ID — some 81% of vacationers, in accordance to TSA estimates — ought to see little impression as soon as the enforcement interval takes impact this week, Howell mentioned.
States have been issuing driver’s licenses that meet the extra stringent safety requirements for years.
The commonest means to inform in case your license is compliant: Check if there is a star at the highest, like on the beneath ID that North Carolina issued me in 2021.
Other states use a number of different symbols or phrases to signify a Real ID, which TPG explains right here.
Those passengers ought to expect enterprise as typical, the company maintained.
Passengers have been relying on that.
“We are prepared with our Real IDs and plan on getting to the airport two hours before travel time as usual,” Debi Watts Norwood wrote within the TPG Lounge on Facebook.
Don’t have a Real ID? A passport is sufficient, in any other case
Not surprisingly, most confusion appears to come from vacationers who do not but have an authorised Real ID — shut to one-fifth of the touring public.
While you’ll have heard of bringing a utility invoice or start certificates to the airport, it is seemingly a lot less complicated than that.
A passport will get you thru a safety checkpoint simply as a driver’s license (or passport, for that matter) would at the moment. You will not want any kind of extra type of identification.
“You don’t need a secondary,” Howell mentioned. “It’s essentially the same as when you travel internationally. You’re just using that as your identification for domestic travel.
Passports aren’t the only document you can use in place of a Real ID.
The TSA will accept a passport card, a Global Entry card, a permanent resident card or a slew of other forms of identification listed here.
“I at all times use my passport after I fly, even throughout the U.S., so I will not be doing something in another way,” TPG reader Cindy Lyon said.
What if you don’t bring an acceptable form of ID?
The biggest hang-ups will occur for travelers who don’t come to the airport with a Real ID or an approved alternative.
They’ll likely still be allowed to fly, but they could face delays due to extra identity verification and, perhaps, additional screening measures.
That could be time-consuming, and it could mean a passenger normally authorized to use the TSA PreCheck lanes could face standard-level screening protocols. This may include taking off their shoes and removing large electronics from their bag.
“You might want to get there about three hours early and put together for some delays and some extra screening,” Howell advised those travelers.
What about paper IDs?
One other possible wrinkle could occur for travelers who are currently carrying a temporary paper license after recently rushing to get a Real ID. This situation has played out across the country, with long lines at DMVs in many states.
Passengers with a temporary paper license should bring that and their older permanent ID, Howell said.
If the DMV issued you a paper ID and didn’t give you your old license back, bring a passport or one of the alternative approved documents.
An eye on the wait times
One of the biggest lingering questions for travelers with or without an approved Real ID: Starting Wednesday, how long will the waits at TSA checkpoints be?
The TSA said it expects wait times to be largely unchanged for those with an approved ID, whether it’s a new Real ID-compliant driver’s license or an alternative like a passport.
“It’s actually the folks that do not have their Real IDs or the opposite acceptable varieties which can be going to see some delays at the checkpoints,” Howell said. “Because they are going to have some extra screening, and we’ll have to do the verification of their id.”
The TSA typically aims for wait times of no more than 30 minutes for passengers in its standard lanes, or 10 minutes in the expedited PreCheck lanes.
Remember: You can always monitor live TSA checkpoint wait times using the agency’s MyTSA app.
Still, some carriers — including Delta Air Lines — are preparing for the possibility that delays could, in some cases, lead to passengers missing flights.
“As we do at the moment, Delta folks will work on a case-by-case foundation to rebook prospects who miss flights due to extenuating circumstances as soon as at the airport,” an airline spokesperson informed TPG, whereas urging passengers to get to the airport early and with legitimate documentation.
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