The $18 fee is optional, but flyers without acceptable ID run the risk of not being allowed on their flight if they don’t pay up.
The Transportation Security Administration has taken a page from the budget airline playbook.
The agency filed a new proposal on Thursday that would charge travelers $18 at security checkpoints if they show up without a REAL ID or another acceptable government-issued ID, such as a passport or permanent resident card.
The fee covers the cost of creating and maintaining the new program and would essentially be required for an agent to access a biometric kiosk system designed to verify a traveler’s identity more quickly than the current manual process.
The fee is optional, but flyers without acceptable ID risk not being allowed on their flight if they don’t pay up.
It’s unclear when the rule to spur more REAL ID adoption could go into effect. The filing said it’ll begin when the agency opens registrations for the program on its website.
Under the proposal, the $18 would be valid for 10 days, meaning travelers without compliant ID documents wouldn’t necessarily pay the fee every single trip within that window.
