One Year Before Real ID Deadline, Americans Are Not Prepared For Airport Security Change

One Year Before Real ID Deadline, Americans Are Not Prepared For Airport Security Change

A majority of Americans did not know about the changing ID requirements for boarding planes in a recent survey, and DHS said that only 27 percent of residents have been issued a Real ID.

While travelers are used to bringing their driver’s license with them to the airport, a majority of Americans are not aware that starting a year from now -- on Oct. 1, 2020 -- the only driver’s licenses that will be accepted by airport security must be Real IDs. 

On Tuesday, DHS announced that only 27 percent of Americans have been issued a Real ID so far. That backs up the findings of a survey by the U.S. Travel Association, which discovered that 57 percent of Americans do not know about the changing ID requirements. Nearly 40 percent do not have a Real ID or any other forms of identification that will be accepted by the TSA. 

Read More: The TSA’s guidelines on Real ID

Travelers will still be able to use passports or military IDs to board flights, but government officials are worried that the change will shock Americans as they attempt to get on a flight next fall. Only 42 percent of Americans have a passport, whereas almost 90 percent have a driver’s license, The Washington Post reported

Real ID licenses are differentiated by a star in the upper-right corner. The new licenses are mandated by the 2005 Real ID Act, which requires states to issue IDs with features that make it harder for terrorists or criminals to replicate them. 

Government agencies are trying to raise awareness of the change, but states like Virginia and Minnesota say that as few as 10 percent of residents have been issued the new IDs, according to the Post. Those statistics have security and travel industry professionals concerned about the number of people who may be turned away from flights because they lack the required identification. 

“We are going from a scenario where about 90 percent of the American public has the ability to fly today using any of their identification, but all of a sudden on October 1, 2020, if that doesn’t change, we have 40 percent of the population that may not be able to fly,” Erik Hansen, vice president of government relations at the U.S. Travel Association, told the Post. 

Based on the current numbers, the association estimates that more than 70,000 people could be prevented from flying on the first day that the law goes into effect. Up to half a million people could experience problems during the first week, the association found. 

While raising awareness is one part of the solution, the Travel Association also wants Congress and the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA, to change the Real ID process to make it easier for states to comply. One key step: eliminating the requirement that residents have to apply for the new IDs at motor vehicle administration offices, which has caused long lines across the country and is likely to get worse as the deadline approaches. 

In addition, the group wants the TSA to develop alternative screening procedures to allow passengers without a Real ID to get through security after the deadline. Travelers enrolled in TSA PreCheck, which involves an extensive background check process, should be able to get through without a Real ID, the U.S. Travel Association argues. 

Only 29 percent of people surveyed by the organization said that the deadline should be enforced without exemptions. The association says that the new technology developed since the law was passed in 2005 should be part of the solution. 

“We can improve secure identity without turning away hundreds of thousands or millions of people,” Hansen said.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

New Products

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.