Deadline to get your Real ID for travel has been extended again

If you don’t have your Real ID yet for travel, don’t worry. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today said enforcement of the Real ID driver’s license has been extended by 24 months to May 7, 2025, from May 3, 2023. The initial deadline was in 2008.

May 7, 2025, is when you must show the new form of identification if you’re age 18 or older and want to fly within the United States.

Americans with state IDs that don’t comply with the federal government’s new “Real ID” standards won’t be able to get past airport security checkpoints. A state-issued driver’s license is the most common form of identification for air travel.

“This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement. “DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and accessible.”

Work on the Real ID began in 2005 based on a recommendation in the 9/11 Commission report that the federal government should “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification.”

Find out if you need a Real ID

If you haven’t had to renew your driver’s license for a few years, chances are you don’t have a Real ID. To check, look for a star at the top of your license conveying it’s certified as a Real ID. Instead of a star, California uses a star on a golden bear and Ohio uses a black cut-out star.

Many Americans are unaware that traveling by air will require a Real ID at airport security checkpoints, according to the U.S. Travel Association (USTA).

In addition to a Real ID license, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners will accept 15 other identifications including, a valid U.S. passport/card, a Global Entry card or a permanent resident card. If you have TSA Precheck or Clear, you still will need a Real ID or other acceptable form of ID.

To see if you will need a REAL ID for upcoming travel, answer some questions on the Homeland Security website.

Confusion over the Real ID

A USTA survey in 2020 found that many Americans don’t have a Real ID or are confused about it. Among the findings were:

• 65% thought their driver’s license was not a Real ID or they were confused
• 36% say they’re certain their license is not a Real ID
• 21% say they’re unsure if their license is a Real ID
• 15% thought they had a Real ID and could correctly identify the star
• Of the 52% of Americans who say they plan to fly in the next two years, 54% have a federally approved ID, such as a passport, but don’t have a Real ID or are unsure.

The numbers probably haven’t changed much since the USTA in May requested an extension in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How to get a Real ID

To get a REAL ID, you must go to the DMV and bring proof of identity, which varies by state. Check with your state’s DMV for specifics. Some DMVs do not accept laminated social security cards. The DHS website provides a map with state-by-state information on getting a REAL ID.

Anyone under age 18 doesn’t need to show identification to travel within the United States with a companion who has identification. That typically includes children flying as “an unaccompanied minor,” who is escorted by an adult with identification. Check with your airline first because each carrier has different rules about children, especially unaccompanied minors.

For more information, go to the FAQs page on the DHS website.

Talking turkey: Thanksgiving air travel could soar

The Thanksgiving travel season promises to be one of the busiest ever for fliers, and I’m not talking about turkeys.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects more than 25 million people to travel through airports across the country this Thanksgiving season (Nov. 16 through Nov. 26). That’s nearly a 7 percent increase from 2017, making the holiday season one of TSA’s busiest on record.

Last year, the TSA noticed a shift in Thanksgiving air travel patterns it expects to continue this year: The big travel crush starts the Friday before Thanksgiving, instead of one day before the holiday.

Still, the busiest travel days are expected be the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday afterward when people are returning home.

If this Thanksgiving might log record travel numbers, should we expect Christmas travel to do the same?

Most outlooks for the December holidays aren’t out yet, but it’s a good bet. In its 2018 Holiday Outlook report, PricewaterhouseCoopers expects more than a third (35 percent) of consumers to travel for the winter holidays. That figure is even higher for younger people: 52 percent for older millennials (age 32-36), 46 percent for young millennials (age 23-26) and 40 percent for Generation Z (people age 17-22).

Overall, travel volume to and within the United States has been growing each year for nearly 10 straight years, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

And the winter holidays always have been busy times of year for travel as children come home on college break and other family members gather from afar.

Here are some quick holiday air travel tips:

• Plan to arrive at the airport early. That means two hours before the departure of a flight within the United States and three hours before an international flight. Allow extra time for traffic congestion, parking, returning a rental car or checking luggage.
• Check this list from the TSA of items you can and cannot carry through an airport or onto an airplane.
• Be prepared to move quickly through airport security. Have your identification and boarding pass ready. Remember to remove from your carry-on bag any electronic devices larger than a cell phone and the quart-size plastic bag containing liquids and gels in 3.4-ounce containers or smaller (unless you have TSA PreCheck).
• Travel light. The less luggage you have, the easier it will be to move around. It could cost you less since many airlines have raised their checked baggage fee.
• Dress light. You must remove shoes, coats or sweaters and empty your pockets at airport security checkpoints. You also may need to remove watches and jewelry, if you’re wearing any.

5 tips for summer travelers to avoid new food screening at airport security

Get ready for longer airport checkpoint lines this summer as travelers may have to remove fruit, sandwiches and other snacks from their carry-on bags for separate screening under new security measures.

Transportation Security Administration agents recently asked a friend of mine to remove fruit and snacks from her carry-on bag at three airports — Dallas Love Field, Denver International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.

Although food is allowed in carry-on bags, the new screening is part of the TSA’s enhanced measures to raise the “baseline for aviation security.” Now, TSA officers may require travelers to separate items from their carry-on bags, such as food, powders and “any materials that can clutter bags and obstruct clear images on the X-ray machine.” (Tips to avoid this at end.)

Pack your carry-on snacks in a separate bag for easy separation at the airport security checkpoint. (Photo by Sheryl Jean)

Under the new rules, items that cannot be identified (does that include a mangosteen?) and resolved at checkpoint cannot be taken on an airplane. The entire process could hold up security lines and make waits much longer even though the TSA is adding over 1,600 more security staff at airports in preparation for the summer crush.

Oh yeah, the TSA expects to screen a record number of U.S. travelers this summer: 243 million people vs. more than 239 million during summer 2017.

The TSA’s stronger security measures began last summer — with requiring travelers to separately place all electronic devices bigger than a cell phone (laptops, tablets, e-readers and game consoles) in bins for X-ray screening.

Its appears that travelers with TSA PreCheck, a program that moves low-risk passengers through security quicker without having to remove shoes, laptops, liquids, belts and jackets, won’t be subjected to the enhanced screening measures.

Here are my tips for getting through airport security faster this summer:

1. Review TSA’s list of banned carry-on items before packing for your trip.
2. The TSA encourages travelers to organize their carry-on bags and avoid overstuffing them to avoid screening gridlock. Pack your snacks in a separate bag, whether it be a canvas or plastic bag, so you can easily separate it from the rest of your carry-on items. (See my photo at upper right.)
3. Join TSA PreCheck ($85 for five years) or Global Entry, a similar program ($100 for five years) that also provides faster U.S. Customs clearance.
4. Buy your snacks at the airport after going through the security checkpoint.
5. Consider buying food on the airplane. It’s still not the most affordable option, but food options and quality have improved.

Photo at top of a security checkpoint at Chicago’s Midway International Airport is by Chris Dilts, Creative Commons via flickr.

Finnair is latest airline to test facial recognition

Finnish airline Finnair is the latest airline to test facial recognition technology at check-in as a way to increase security and improve the airport passenger boarding process.

Finnair is testing the technology created by Futurice at Helsinki Airport this month on 1,000 of its frequent flyers. Those customers use a mobile app to send a photograph to Finnair and use a designated check-in counter equipped with face recognition technology at the airport. A Finnair agent still must check the customer’s travel information.

Last month, British Airways launched automated biometric technology at London’s Heathrow Airport for departing domestic flights at some gates, with plans to expand the program to international flights in the future. Travelers’ digital facial scan is recorded as they go through security and when they arrive at the gate. Their face is matched with this representation when they present their boarding pass.

Closer to home, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been testing facial and iris imaging capabilities to improve travelers’ identity and security. Test sites have included Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.; John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York; and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.

Finnair’s head of ground experience and ancillary, Sari Nevanlinna, said facial recognition could “eliminate the need for a [travelers’] boarding pass.” The airline carries more than 10 million passengers a year between Europe, Asia and North America.