Fliers now have new regulations to follow before they can depart. With Real ID laws in place, updating your license could lead to a smoother takeoff.
Real ID is designed to enhance security of identification cards like a license, and in South Dakota it’s marked by a small star in the upper right-hand corner of the card. A federal requirement to require it to board domestic flights went into effect Wednesday.
Jessica Mayle is the regional spokesperson of the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA.
“All passengers, aged 18 or over, going through TSA checkpoints need to have a Real ID or another acceptable form of ID such as a passport," Mayle said. "Monitoring operations across the country, but especially in our region the Midwest where I’m focused, everything went really smoothly this morning. No major delays or disruptions.”
Mayle said the recommendation came out of the 9/11 commission and has now been implemented nationwide.
“We want to have one, baseline, set of national security standards for all drivers’ licenses," Mayle said. "A lot of anti-fraud, anti-counterfeit measures were baked in, and all states now offer a more secure set of drivers’ licenses then they did before the Real ID Act was implemented.”
TSA is not turning fliers away at the gates, yet. However, passengers without Real ID will be subject to additional screenings. Mayle said it might be worth renewing if your ID isn’t yet compliant.
“We’re going to continue to ramp up enforcement, DHS is looking at compliance levels," Mayle said. "For passengers not in compliance, I would encourage them to do so, for no other reason than you’ll have to bake extra time into your trips because you don’t know how long this extra screening is going to take, and that’s really not an indefinite solution for anybody. Looking ahead, you have trips planned this summer or the holidays, you really want to make sure you have an acceptable form of ID.”
Other acceptable forms of ID include passports, military ID, or global entry cards.