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

  • AI Is Now the Leading Cybersecurity Concern for Security, IT Leaders

    Arctic Wolf recently published findings from its State of Cybersecurity: 2025 Trends Report, offering insights from a global survey of more than 1,200 senior IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across 15 countries. Conducted by Sapio Research, the report captures the realities, risks, and readiness strategies shaping the modern security landscape. Read Now

  • Analysis of AI Tools Shows 85 Percent Have Been Breached

    AI tools are becoming essential to modern work, but their fast, unmonitored adoption is creating a new kind of security risk. Recent surveys reveal a clear trend – employees are rapidly adopting consumer-facing AI tools without employer approval, IT oversight, or any clear security policies. According to Cybernews Business Digital Index, nearly 90% of analyzed AI tools have been exposed to data breaches, putting businesses at severe risk. Read Now

  • Software Vulnerabilities Surged 61 Percent in 2024, According to New Report

    Action1, a provider of autonomous endpoint management (AEM) solutions, today released its 2025 Software Vulnerability Ratings Report, revealing a 61% year-over-year surge in discovered software vulnerabilities and a 96% spike in exploited vulnerabilities throughout 2024, amid an increasingly aggressive threat landscape. Read Now

  • Motorola Solutions Named Official Safety Technology Supplier of the Ryder Cup through 2027

    Motorola Solutions has today been named the Official Safety Technology Supplier of the 2025 and 2027 Ryder Cup, professional golf’s renowned biennial team competition between the United States and Europe. Read Now

  • Evolving Cybersecurity Strategies

    Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to human-focused security approaches, as two out of three (68%) cybersecurity incidents involve people. Threat actors are shifting from targeting networks and systems to hacking humans via social engineering methods, living off human errors as their most prevalent attack vector. Whether manipulated or not, human cyber behavior is leveraged to gain backdoor access into systems. This mainly results from a lack of employee training and awareness about evolving attack techniques employed by malign actors. Read Now

New Products

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • 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.