TSA's New $45 Fee at U.S. Airports Unfairly Punishes Families in the Fine Print
thetravel.comI think this was already discussed recently, but I find this quote in the article very interesting:
"Passengers don't listen, a lot of them think the TSA is a joke. The fines are a way to enforce the rules for the REAL ID," the former TSA officer told TheTravel.
I've got one very concrete reason why I do think the TSA is a joke. They list a Veterans Affairs health ID card as valid ID even after this new Real ID rule. Despite that, I was forced to go thru "extra screening" in Austin because a bunch of agents were not aware of this (even though I had a print out of the website). Even in the TSA press release announcing this new fee still lists the VA ID as sufficient, but I'll forever just recall the complete lack of professionalism and knowledge of these agents.
The TSA is a joke. The whole thing is security theater.
IMO it's intended to grid people down to accepting facial and other biological identity check.
TSA is a joke.
I've gone through more than one airport where TSA had someone yelling at everyone to keep their shoes on ... then like 20 feet later an angry TSA guy yelling at people things like "haven't you ever flown before, take off your shoes".
I dared mention that the other TSA agent up the line was telling people something different ... TSA just ignored me.
And what is the delay in those lines? It's always the scanner speed, not the people. People are usually rushing, and then just stand there and wait.
TSA operates like elementary school hall monitors all too often.
TSA has little to no accountability and once in the web little to no recourse.
How can a VA health ID card be considered a valid ID? Maybe a supplemental ID, but I can't imagine it would be allowed as a primary ID for TSA screening.
A Veteran health ID card is a government issued photo id card used to prove your identity with the government to get health care, why wouldn't it be allowed for proving your identity with the TSA.
1. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
I was surprised too, but since I have one I figured I'd use it (before I got the Real ID). It's listed as "Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)" on https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
The VA recently gave out more recent ID cards that seem more detailed than the older ones.
Yeah wow, TIL.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
It’s right there, last bullet point.
Typically, in the states, veterans are presumed to be less of a safety risk and receive preferential treatment at all sorts of venues.
But the entire point of the law is to prevent you from pretending to be somebody you aren't. So this defeats the purpose, unless the whole thing is security theater... which it is.
Am I missing something obvious? What's the "fine print" that punishes a family of 4 more than a group of 4 friends?
I can't find that information anywhere in the article despite it being the entire point of the headline.
That's how I read it, it is a per person fee.
I agree I read it as being the same cost for 4 individuals.
There is a 10 day window so both groups could end up paying on the way back too.
It's just a terrible article. The primary example doesn't even make sense, since the fee only applies to those aged 18+. Basically if your "family of four" is entirely adults, and none of you ever bothered to get Real ID, and your vacation is 11+ days long, then you have to pay the per-adult fee eight times instead of four... big deal.
I am assuming this is just AI slop, given that it is needlessly 1700 words, including redundancies like "who spoke on condition of anonymity—their name is therefore off the record". Plus this gem of a final sentence regurgitating the lede and entire point of the article: "The upcoming fee will likely shift that figure even higher by February next year, when travelers without a REAL ID or a passport will have to shell out $45 when passing through airport security."
A group of four friends typically will have four incomes
A family of four typically has one or two incomes
I have travelled domestically without even providing an ID at all for my underage children. Keeping current passport-level IDs for a large family is indeed a new burden that a group of adult friends does not have to account for
For example, how often does your child need a current realID? Not until they hit the TSA. Good luck tracking all the expiries of every child, and making sure it’s all updated before your next 1hr flight to visit grandma.
I know this is HN and demographically you largely skew younger without large families, but this is a real PITA for no actual security benefit
The fee doesn't apply to children. The article is nonsensical; it even mentions this 18+ aspect but then makes an increasingly-contrived example involving "grandparents, older siblings, or extended family" (all of whom inexplicably don't have Real ID either?)
No, you're not. The fact that people think the TSA is a joke (as noted within the body of the article) is what stuck out to me. The headline is lame.
If they offer an option to just pay more, then the need for the new ID can't actually be legitimate. If it was actually important for some real safety reason, then it would be crazy to allow a terrorist to just pay $45 to get around it.
It's like when they take the supposedly dangerous potential bomb bottle of liquid from your bag, and just put it in a trash can right there still in this crowded airport with hundreds of civilian victims all around.
Question from a European: I assume that most people flying within the US would use their driver's license as ID. Given how long this "REAL ID" standard has been in effect, why have the non compliant IDs not expired yet? Do some states not issue REAL ID compliant licenses?
(Apologies if this is a stupid question, I'm not familiar with how these things work in the US)
>Given how long this "REAL ID" standard has been in effect, why have the non compliant IDs not expired yet? Do some states not issue REAL ID compliant licenses?
It's only been in effect for a short while, then we had COVID. It took them two decades to even get it live.
Some state licenses don't expire for 10 years. Americans will avoid trips to the DMV until it's absolutely necessary to go. YMMV on if your local one is well-run and efficient or a madhouse with long wait times.
My DL expired this year. I renewed it with an online web form, so I was not able to upgrade it to real ID
I have a passport, and apple wallet recently enabled support for US passports, so I personally don’t see myself going to the DMV until I absolutely must
But as long as it’s possibly to renew without realID, I think most people will take that option
My state was one of the slowest to adopt REAL ID. Last time I had my driver's license renewed, none of the available information made it seem like I could get an REAL ID. Next time I renew ill likely get a REAL ID compliant license, but mine has not been compliant since airports required REAL ID starting 3(?) years ago.
In my state you still have a choice to pay more for a REAL ID, or just get a plain old drivers license.
Are there some onerous requirements for REAL IDs which require it to be more expensive, or is this a short-sighted money making scheme for the states?
To get a real ID you need to prove your citizenship, which is usually some combination of your birth certificate and/or passport or other IDs. Not really a big deal
But does mean an office visit rather than (sometimes) a renewal by mail.
having reliable government IDs means that people will be inconvenienced
Depends on the state: https://www.usa.gov/real-id
States will give you a real ID if you can prove you are a US citizen. This article is covertly trying to argue for easier travel for illegal aliens
It has been 20 years since the REAL ID Act of 2005... I am more than OK with this fee, and I don't think it unfairly punishes anyone at this point.
In many states a RealID costs $40 and is good for 5 years; if the info/vetting process is the same then the $45 fee should come with an ID good for five years or more
The TSA is not a joke, it’s a sleeper cell. Wait for the ICE-TSA collusion a bit longer and a $45 fee won’t save you from being the wrong color
The TSA is a sleeper cell?
Related (fixed link):
US air travelers without REAL IDs will be charged a $45 fee
Not the correct link. Presumably you meant:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46115731 US air travelers without REAL IDs will be charged a $45 fee (apnews.com)
1 day ago | 69 comments
You linked the wrong article - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46136901 takes you to a steam article
wrong link?
Airlines also unfairly punish families because they need to buy more tickets - and so does McDonalds when they buy multiple Big Macs, etc.
The argument in the headline is sorta silly - I agree - but the quote I put in my other comment is the real reason I submitted this article.
After reading the article, this is actually a great thing for Americans?
Previously, if you didn't have your "Real ID" (which, is a terrible name IMO) or passport, you were just... denied. And presumably that would cost far more than $45.
This seems like an extra step to help you get through airports and prevent delays.
Also, $45 for 30 minutes of a TSA agent's time + their software seems very reasonable? That could even be operating at a loss.
I get it, the median person flies 0 times a year, the average person flies 1.5-2 times a year, there's a huge number of people who fly 0-2 times a year. Mistakes happen and they should result in seizing the whole system.
...but it's just insane to me that someone could go to an airport and not have an ID, let alone a passport. Come on.
Edit (didn't realize the article continued):
> American travelers were still permitted to fly without this updated form of ID with no penalties; they simply had to undergo additional screening, including handing over current addresses, per the TSA's website.
I'm speechless.
You have always been able to fly without ID by submitting to enhanced physical screening. John Gilmore sued the TSA over the ID requirement but lost, *edited I reread the opinion and the court found there was no 4th amendment violations, but enhanced screening was an option available to him even back in 2004 that he declined.
TSA is not required to allow people without ID to fly but they do and because suddenly a lot of people do not have acceptable ID, and not because of circumstances beyond their control, TSA is instituting the fees.
> Previously, if you didn't have your "Real ID" (which, is a terrible name IMO) or passport, you were just... denied.
That is incorrect. You could still fly. You could just use any valid government ID, of which every state license was one.
They don't mean prior to REAL ID, they mean prior to this service but while REAL ID requirements were in effect.
That time never existed.
That time period existed from May 7th 2025 to February 1st 2026.
Your claim is contradicted by several first-hand accounts on this page, as well as by the current documentation on the TSA website:
> Passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID compliant at TSA checkpoints and who do not have another acceptable alternative form of ID will be notified of their non-compliance, may be directed to a separate area and may receive additional screening. This includes TSA PreCheck passengers.
> Don’t Have Your Acceptable ID?
> The TSA officer may ask you to complete an identity verification process which includes collecting information such as your name and current address to confirm your identity. If your identity is confirmed, you will be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint, where you may be subject to additional screening.
> You will not be allowed to enter the security checkpoint if you choose to not provide acceptable identification, you decline to cooperate with the identity verification process, or your identity cannot be confirmed.
You make a great point, but (as noted in the article) some of us feel that the TSA is a joke for various reasons; one of which may be that the TSA did not actually accept forms of ID which their website states are acceptable :)