4 ms·

TSA to charge $18 fee for travelers without Real ID or passport

69 points by bookofjoe 1y ago

bookofjoe 1y ago
https://archive.ph/EvIyA https://archive.ph/EvIyA
amanaplanacanal 1y ago
Another tax. Great. From a Republican administration. What the hell?
- semiquaver 1y ago
  The REAL ID act was an expensive unfunded mandate passed in 2005, so the republican administration that imposed this tax is actually that of GWB.
  - quartesixte 1y ago
    God I had forgotten how old this law is. And how consistently it has been delayed for decades. Born of the post 9/11 world and its concerns...
    - StillBored 1y ago
      And generally considered unconstitutional, until suddenly it wasn't, just like GWB nationalizing the TSA itself thereby creating the single largest case of the federal government pilfering through everyday Americans persons and property hunting for things that are legal to own. Which was also wildly considered unconstitutional, until it wasn't. And go read the 4th amendment, with the understand that no one who signed it thought anything in the constitution authorizes any part of the federal government to ignore the absolutist language the bill of rights is written in. The assumption was that if there arose a need to justify the federal government searching people like this it needed a super majority to pass an amendment to fix it.
- watersb 1y ago
  Once you've privatised government operations, the tax revenue flows directly to the NATIONAL SECURITY contractor, so extra taxes is all good. You're paying enterprising folks for the privilege of walking around in a free country.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
rahimnathwani 1y ago
The majority of travelers are ID-compliant — around 94 percent, according to the TSA. It seems crazy to me that 6% of travelers are going to the airport without ID. (I presume that accompanied minors who aren't required to show ID are included in the 94%)
- tapoxi 1y ago
  Real ID is a series of annoying steps that you need to go through to get a star on your license. People that haven't "upgraded" to Real ID are the noncompliant ones.
  - rahimnathwani 1y ago
    I don't remember any annoying steps to get Real ID at the CA DMV in San Francisco. (For reference, I'm not a US citizen, but am here legally.) What are the annoying steps others have faced?
    - ghaff 1y ago
      I did have to get some additional docs and come back to the AAA office, Not really a big deal but you did need one or two additional docs even though I have a passport.
    - throwaway81523 1y ago
      The annoying extra steps involve stuff like authenticating your residence address with additionjal documents. Enough hassle that I didn't bother with mine, as it would have taken extra time and I waited til the last minute before renewing. It's also a privacy invasion. And to do it now I'd have to pay a bunch extra to get a replacement license when I otherwise don't need to. I hope someone can get this new TSA fee blocked by a court. Added: I think Real ID may also require your license to show your residence address (mine only has my mailing address). California's DMV collects residence addresses but treats them as confidential, ever since actress Rebecca Schaefer got murdered by a stalker who got her address from the DMV. There is a separate space on the application form where you can write the address you want them to print on your license.
jackdecker 1y ago
While I don’t feel one way or another about this w.r.t. charging this fee to people without a Real ID who show up with a normal ID, as someone who has just lost their ID entirely, or shown up accidentally to the airport without it - This totally makes sense. The amount of effort it takes for a TSA agent (granted, this is mostly entirely fabricated effort, this seems like a more solved problem, but I digress) to verify my identity the few times this had happened is well worth $18. It’s not a quick phone call to an external agency and you rattle off your social; it’s a whole shebang. “Did you live at x? Who else lived at that address with you?” “What was your sisters last address before her current” “What was the second address you lived at in [city]” To be entirely honest, the whole thing was super entertaining. I think part of it was just it made me feel like some super spy. Anyway - good on them for charging a few bucks. Don’t forget your ID or get your ID updated. (Sidenote: this line of questioning wasn’t this interesting every time. Sometimes it is more like a one and done question, but I am at my most impressed with TSA when it seems like they actually do give a fuck, and the times it’s been an in-depth line of questioning has stuck with me)
- hermanzegerman 1y ago
  Why do they need to identify you for a domestic flight anyway? In Europe I don't need to show ID for flights inside the Schengen Area. You go through security, they check your luggage and it's done. There is no legitimate reason for the government to identify you on a domestic flight
  - londons_explore 1y ago
    "We need your id to put your name on the passenger manifest" "The manifest is required by law" "We can't just put your possibly-fake name on the manifest because then we'd be committing a crime" Combinations of other rules probably effectively require it, even if nonsensical.
  - gagik_co 1y ago
    Schengen thing should be working like this but more and more I have been asked for ID/passport, usually by the airline before boarding or local police acting as border guards after arrival.
kotaKat 1y ago
Why do I have a feeling this is just going to be bolting a bill acceptor onto CLEAR kiosks as the "alternative biometric verification"?
tylergetsay 1y ago
Using clear I rarely have to show my ID

69 points by bookofjoe 1y ago

bookofjoe 1y ago

https://archive.ph/EvIyA https://archive.ph/EvIyA

amanaplanacanal 1y ago

Another tax. Great. From a Republican administration. What the hell?

semiquaver 1y ago
The REAL ID act was an expensive unfunded mandate passed in 2005, so the republican administration that imposed this tax is actually that of GWB.
- quartesixte 1y ago
  God I had forgotten how old this law is. And how consistently it has been delayed for decades. Born of the post 9/11 world and its concerns...
  - StillBored 1y ago
    And generally considered unconstitutional, until suddenly it wasn't, just like GWB nationalizing the TSA itself thereby creating the single largest case of the federal government pilfering through everyday Americans persons and property hunting for things that are legal to own. Which was also wildly considered unconstitutional, until it wasn't. And go read the 4th amendment, with the understand that no one who signed it thought anything in the constitution authorizes any part of the federal government to ignore the absolutist language the bill of rights is written in. The assumption was that if there arose a need to justify the federal government searching people like this it needed a super majority to pass an amendment to fix it.
watersb 1y ago
Once you've privatised government operations, the tax revenue flows directly to the NATIONAL SECURITY contractor, so extra taxes is all good. You're paying enterprising folks for the privilege of walking around in a free country.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

rahimnathwani 1y ago

The majority of travelers are ID-compliant — around 94 percent, according to the TSA. It seems crazy to me that 6% of travelers are going to the airport without ID. (I presume that accompanied minors who aren't required to show ID are included in the 94%)

tapoxi 1y ago
Real ID is a series of annoying steps that you need to go through to get a star on your license. People that haven't "upgraded" to Real ID are the noncompliant ones.
- rahimnathwani 1y ago
  I don't remember any annoying steps to get Real ID at the CA DMV in San Francisco. (For reference, I'm not a US citizen, but am here legally.) What are the annoying steps others have faced?
  - ghaff 1y ago
    I did have to get some additional docs and come back to the AAA office, Not really a big deal but you did need one or two additional docs even though I have a passport.
  - throwaway81523 1y ago
    The annoying extra steps involve stuff like authenticating your residence address with additionjal documents. Enough hassle that I didn't bother with mine, as it would have taken extra time and I waited til the last minute before renewing. It's also a privacy invasion. And to do it now I'd have to pay a bunch extra to get a replacement license when I otherwise don't need to. I hope someone can get this new TSA fee blocked by a court. Added: I think Real ID may also require your license to show your residence address (mine only has my mailing address). California's DMV collects residence addresses but treats them as confidential, ever since actress Rebecca Schaefer got murdered by a stalker who got her address from the DMV. There is a separate space on the application form where you can write the address you want them to print on your license.

jackdecker 1y ago

While I don’t feel one way or another about this w.r.t. charging this fee to people without a Real ID who show up with a normal ID, as someone who has just lost their ID entirely, or shown up accidentally to the airport without it - This totally makes sense. The amount of effort it takes for a TSA agent (granted, this is mostly entirely fabricated effort, this seems like a more solved problem, but I digress) to verify my identity the few times this had happened is well worth $18. It’s not a quick phone call to an external agency and you rattle off your social; it’s a whole shebang. “Did you live at x? Who else lived at that address with you?” “What was your sisters last address before her current” “What was the second address you lived at in [city]” To be entirely honest, the whole thing was super entertaining. I think part of it was just it made me feel like some super spy. Anyway - good on them for charging a few bucks. Don’t forget your ID or get your ID updated. (Sidenote: this line of questioning wasn’t this interesting every time. Sometimes it is more like a one and done question, but I am at my most impressed with TSA when it seems like they actually do give a fuck, and the times it’s been an in-depth line of questioning has stuck with me)

hermanzegerman 1y ago
Why do they need to identify you for a domestic flight anyway? In Europe I don't need to show ID for flights inside the Schengen Area. You go through security, they check your luggage and it's done. There is no legitimate reason for the government to identify you on a domestic flight
- londons_explore 1y ago
  "We need your id to put your name on the passenger manifest" "The manifest is required by law" "We can't just put your possibly-fake name on the manifest because then we'd be committing a crime" Combinations of other rules probably effectively require it, even if nonsensical.
- gagik_co 1y ago
  Schengen thing should be working like this but more and more I have been asked for ID/passport, usually by the airline before boarding or local police acting as border guards after arrival.

kotaKat 1y ago

Why do I have a feeling this is just going to be bolting a bill acceptor onto CLEAR kiosks as the "alternative biometric verification"?

tylergetsay 1y ago

Using clear I rarely have to show my ID