It’s been a while since we took a look at the count of guns and other dangerous items travelers try to take through airport security checkpoints.
For the record, firearms, grenades and a long list of other dangerous – or dangerous-looking items – aren’t permitted airside in airports.
Yet each week passengers do show up at airport checkpoints with guns, live ammunition and other prohibited items in carry-on bags.
During the peak Thanksgiving holiday period, between November 18 and December 1, TSA officers found 153 firearms in carry-on bags.
Of those 153 firearms discovered, 127 were loaded. And 47 of those firearms had a round chambered.
In addition to firearms, TSA officers also found this novelty item at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on November 25. Grenades and inert grenades, no matter how cute, are on the list of items to leave home.
These grenades also showed up recently at airport checkpoints.
In this picture:
An empty grenade discovered by TSA officers at Louisiana’s Monroe Regional Airport on December 1.
An empty grenade discovered during X-ray screening at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on November 24.
A novelty belt buckle grenade discovered at Louisville International Airport on November 28.
According to TSA, the most common reason travelers give when firearms and other dangerous items are discovered in their carry-ons is “Oops, I forgot that was in there.”
What happens to people who get caught with these items at the airport?
Some get fines up to $13,333. Some get arrested. And TSA Pre-check members run the risk of losing their status.
Boat service has been offered for quite a while. But in a new program, passengers who take water transportation to Boston Logan International Airport will now get complimentary priority access at the airport security line.
Under the plan, passengers who take the MBTA ferry or water taxi service to the Logan Airport Boat Dock (Fare: $15) will get a “Ticket to Skip” pass when they get off the boats and board the free Logan Airport shuttle to the terminals.
The orange ticket can then be presented to security checkpoint staff in exchange for preferred lane access.
In good weather, taking the water taxi from Boston waterfront is a great adventure and can be quite convenient.
The small boats leave from Long Wharf, which is right by the New England Aquarium, the North End, Faneuil Hall and other popular Boston landmarks you might be visiting on your way out of town anyway.
So the ride to the airport can be part of your vacation.
My story this week for USA TODAY tries to break down what you need to know about getting that REAL ID we’ve been hearing about.
The deadline is coming up on October 1, 2020, so now it is getting real.
Here’s the story:
Take a look at your driver’s license.
Go ahead, we’ll wait while you fish it out of your wallet.
If your driver’s license doesn’t have a star in the
upper corner of the card and you foresee flying on a domestic commercial flight
any time after Oct 1, 2020, then your license is not Real ID compliant.
You’ll need to take action, make some decisions, or
wait for your state to get its act together.
What’s
Real ID?
The Real
ID Act is legislation passed in 2005 (in response to the
9/11 terrorists attacks) that set new and higher minimum security standards for
driver’s licenses and identification cards that will be accepted at airports,
other Federally regulated facilities and nuclear power plants.
Debates and pushback
from some states over the impact of Real ID have created confusion and delayed
the official rollout of the Act’s enforcement, but October 1, 2020 is now
considered the firm date for enforcement at commercial airports.
“The main pushback on
REAL ID is that it’s too big brother,” said Jeff Price, an aviation security
expert with Leading Edge Strategies, “It’s a move to make everyone in the U.S. have
identification, which tends to upset those who enjoy life off the grid or don’t
like any more government intrusion into their lives more than what is
necessary.”
But, Price notes,
nearly every state has come into compliance, “And there hasn’t been the big
brother/illegal shakedown issues that some people predicted,” he said.
How do you get a REAL ID compliant license and
when can you get?
Here’s where things can
get tricky.
The Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) has been phasing in enforcement of the REAL ID Act in
an effort to give states time to become compliant with the rules and to begin
issuing enhanced driver’s licenses and ID cards in time for the October 1, 2020
deadline.
Most states are
currently in compliance (see this map) with the REAL ID Act and are able to issue upgraded licenses and IDs.
Seven states (Oregon,
Oklahoma, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Maine), plus
American Samoa, have been granted extensions with varying deadlines for meeting
the rules. (Some have until August 1, 2019 while others have until October 1,
2019).
California’s status regarding REAL ID compliance is listed as “Under Review” with a much shorter deadline of May 24, 2019 for achieving compliance.
It is possible these extensions will be extended if the states show they’re making progress. But time is running short.
What this means:
If your current driver’s
license or ID card is from a compliant state, TSA will accept it at airports
until September 30, 2020. Starting October 1, 2020, though, licenses and IDs from
these – and every state – will need to bear a star or special symbol that shows
it has been upgraded to conform to the new minimum security standards.
If your current license
is from one of the seven states that has been given an extension, or from
California, then it is good until the date the extension expires. After that,
if the state isn’t given another extension, is it possible TSA will require an
additional or alternate form of ID (i.e. a passport) between the extension
expiration date and September 30, 2020.
Come October 1, 2020,
though, licenses from these extension states will also need to have the star or
symbol that shows is has been upgraded to meet the new minimum security
standards.
Getting ready for October 1, 2020
Signs about the REAL ID
deadline are going up now in airports across the country.
October 1, 2020 seems
far off, but it is ‘just’ a year a half away. And there’s sure to be continued confusion
and delays in getting upgraded licenses and ID cards from state agencies.
For that reason, the Transportation
Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, airports and
travel agents are urging travelers to renew their driver’s licenses or state
IDs early and to be sure to opt for the ‘enhanced’ or ‘compliant’ versions
which, we should warn you, require additional paperwork and may cost more than
the ‘for-driving-only’ or ‘unenhanced’ versions in some states.
Or, you can decide if you are comfortable flying domestically with your passport (if you have on; only about 40% of Americans do ) or with one of the other forms of approved identification on this list.
The Transportation Security Administration has added nine new domestic and international carriers to the pre-check expedited screening program.
New airlines joining the program are: Air India, Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, Eastern Airlines, Elite Airways, EVA Airways, Japan Airlines, TAP Air Portugal and Volaris.
This brings the total number of airlines participating in TSA Precheck program to 65 domestic and international carriers. (The full list of participating airlines is below.)
Whether you’re enrolled in TSA Precheck or not, it’s helpful to know how long you’ll be waiting in line.
That’s now easier at John F. Kennedy International (JFK), Newark Liberty International (EWR), LaGuardia (LGA), and New York Stewart International (SWF) airports, where the respective websites now show up-to-date TSA wait times, as well as taxi wait times. The wait times are also shown on monitors inside the terminals.
According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the real-time tracking information is part of the agency’s “aggressive efforts to deliver an enhanced customer experience” for passengers using its airports.
Here are all the airlines currently participating in TSA’s PreCheck program:
