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submitted 4 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Air travelers in the U.S. without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday.

The updated ID has been required since May, but passengers without it have so far been allowed to clear security with additional screening and a warning. The Department of Homeland Security says 94% of passengers are already compliant and that the new fee is intended to encourage travelers to obtain the ID.

REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that meets enhanced requirements mandated in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

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[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 62 points 4 days ago

Like someone else said in a different post yesterday: anything beyond checking that I don't have weapons or some other danger to the flight is completely unnecessary. There is no reason that the TSA needs to verify identity for flights.

[-] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 6 points 3 days ago

Just another step towards internal passports, which are a popular measure in most totalitarian states.

[-] ssfckdt 1 points 3 days ago

Vhair ah yore pehh perse

Or more like

Wayer arr yer pie pars

[-] DeathsEmbrace@lemmy.world 24 points 4 days ago

Technically its for the surveillance system they set up without telling anybody on top of the surveillance systems already in place that you dont know about on top of the NSA

[-] DougHolland@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago

It has nothing to do with security, everything to do with Big Brotherhood. They love having a database of everyone's travels.

[-] frongt@lemmy.zip 4 points 4 days ago

Identity is one of those "danger to the flight" things. Like the 9/11 hijackers didn't bring any weapons on board, they just used force and exploited the compliance of the crew to take control. So if they flag you as a known terrorist, they stop you getting on the plane.

In theory. In practice I don't think the TSA has stopped a single attempt of terrorism, but I also don't think we've had any attempts since 9/11. Whether that's due to the existence of the TSA is impossible to say.

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 4 days ago

They may have just used force to take the planes, but regulations regarding cockpit security were completely revolutionized after 9/11. That same tactic should not work today. Hell, even having a weapon doesn't really make a hijacking more likely.

The problem was insecure cockpits, not that the authorities didn't know the identities of the people onboard. There is no actual proven security reason for the TSA collecting this information.

[-] Dogyote@slrpnk.net 4 points 3 days ago

There is no actual proven security reason for the TSA collecting this information.

That doesn't sound right. If there's a list of wanted or potentially dangerous terrorists or criminals, and I provide ID showing that I am not one of those people, isn't that a security reason for showing ID?

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 days ago

Who makes that list? The same group of people labeling antifa as terrorists? If a person has no weapons and still is "too dangerous" to be on a plane, why are they not in jail?

ID isn't making anything more secure in the context of the airport, it's just surveillance and another way to limit/punish people extrajudicially.

[-] Dogyote@slrpnk.net 2 points 3 days ago

If a person has no weapons and still is "too dangerous" to be on a plane, why are they not in jail?

I think that's the point, they'll get arrested if they try to fly. Doesn't that make things more secure?

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 days ago

Sure, if the no fly list was made by putting evidence in front of a judge. It's not though, people end up on there without being in legal trouble all the time. It can and has been used for political ends, and the lack of transparency makes it effectively useless.

[-] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 days ago

It's only useless for its stated purpose, not its actual purpose.

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 days ago
[-] Dogyote@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 days ago

Okay that's true but if we circle back to my original point, it would seem that asking to see ID makes sense from a security standpoint.

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago

But it doesn't, because being on that list doesn't actually have any specific requirements.

[-] Dogyote@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 days ago

I think there are some requirements, might not be fair, but they exist. Also I'm pretty sure wanting to blow up a plane is one of them.

[-] ssfckdt 1 points 3 days ago

Richard Reid did attempt. He almost succeeded too, it was sheer dumb luck that he failed.

[-] ssfckdt 1 points 3 days ago

They had box cutters didn't they

[-] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 53 points 4 days ago

It feels like they’ve been saying the REAL ID would be required for years, and keep pushing it back. Now they’re like, “We’re so serious you guys. It’s for national security. No bad actor will pay $45.”

[-] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 12 points 4 days ago

Its just like the TSA precheck and now the third party companies like Clear offering to skip/use minimally invasive security screenings for a small fee.

[-] TheRealKuni@piefed.social 12 points 4 days ago

Yeah. When someone told me, “If you agree to pay a fee, for three years they won’t give you a patdown every time you fly because you won’t have to use the scanner that thinks fat people are smugglers, and you won’t have to take your shoes off” my first thought was “fuck yes” and my second thought was “isn’t that the definition of racketeering?”

(Also my very first time using TSA Precheck I was flagged for “random screening” and TSA got one last revenge patdown in. 🙄)

[-] jacksilver@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

I've also argued if it's that's the case, then just pay for all Americans to be "pre-screened" and get rid of 80% of the TSA. That would have to save a huge amount of money.

But TSA is most likely a mixture of a jobs program and easy way to send people kickbacks.

[-] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 days ago

The ol' Grope and Scope is the only action I get at my age.

[-] ssfckdt 2 points 3 days ago

Fun fact: They were pushing it back because some states wouldn't accelerate the process of making their standard state IDs compliant. They finally said no more delays.

WA state IDs are still not universally REAL ID compliant, you have to get a separate compliant state ID via an appointment. Unless as I noted above you have one of the other documents (passport, passport card, green card, military id, etc.)

[-] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 3 points 4 days ago

The law was passed in 2005 and so many states kept complaining. And frankly, those states are getting punished.

Every state that has their shit together has been Real ID compliant for at least a decade.

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[-] RamRabbit@lemmy.world 31 points 4 days ago

Article also says a passport is fine.

[-] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 16 points 4 days ago

Because a passport is registered with the state department and is by nature more "real" than a real ID

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[-] ssfckdt 4 points 3 days ago

Your regular reminder:

Passports, passport cards, Green Cards (i.e. PR cards), NEXUS and SENTRI cards, Military ID cards, work authorization cards, TWIC and VHIC cards, HSPD PIVs, and Tribal ID cards, are all REAL IDs.

[-] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

“Encourage”

Force via financial penalty.

Edit: forgot to mention, if you have a valid US passport you don’t need to spend the $ on a new Real ID if you use the passport as your ID.

[-] aeternum 2 points 2 days ago
[-] moonshadow@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 days ago

Land of the Fee, Home of the Slave

[-] thenextguy@lemmy.world 14 points 4 days ago

Beginning Feb. 1, travelers 18 and older flying domestically without a REAL ID and who don’t have another accepted form of ID on them, such as a passport, will pay the non-refundable fee to verify their identity through TSA’s alternative “Confirm.ID” system.

[-] credo@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago

 

Current list of acceptable IDs:

  • REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)

    • If you are not sure if your ID complies with REAL ID, check with your state department of motor vehicles.
    • A temporary driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification.
  • State-issued Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)

// “State-issued Enhanced Driver's Licenses and identification cards (EDL/EID) are designated as acceptable border-crossing documents by DHS under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and are an acceptable alternative to a REAL ID”//

  • U.S. passport

  • U.S. passport card

  • DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)

  • U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents

  • Permanent resident card

  • Border crossing card

  • An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)

  • HSPD-12 PIV card

  • Foreign government-issued passport

  • Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card

  • Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)

  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)

  • U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential

  • Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)

[-] Sunflier@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

But, I have global entry. That's not enough now?

[-] ssfckdt 3 points 3 days ago

Global Entry card is a REAL ID

[-] phed@lemmy.ml 7 points 3 days ago

I thought the whole point of Real ID was you couldn't fly without it. Now they just say aw f it pay us 45 bucks? Where's the 'security'?

[-] ssfckdt 2 points 3 days ago

You don't technically need any ID to fly, it just becomes more of a pain in the ass. Just like you don't technically need to go through the body scanner, but again, it becomes more of a pain in the ass.

[-] Dogyote@slrpnk.net 5 points 3 days ago

What makes the real ID real?

[-] TurdBurgler@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

How to get a REAL ID and use it for travel, https://www.usa.gov/real-id

[-] BoxOfFeet@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

No passport, no real id. Good thing I don't go anywhere.

[-] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 days ago

Been there, didn't enjoy it much, you're not missing anything.

[-] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 days ago

FTA: REAL ID or a passport.

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this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2025
131 points (100.0% liked)

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