While there are still fewer passengers flying on commercial planes due to the pandemic, there is an uptick in the number of firearms people are bringing with them to U.S. airports.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced this week that so far this year its officers have found a record number of firearms at airport security checkpoints.
As of October 3rd, with three months yets to go in 2021, TSA officers had stopped 4,495 passengers with firearms. That already surpasses the previous year-long record of 4,432 firearms caught throughout all of 2019.
In 2019, TSA found 5 firearms per million passengers. So far this year, TSA discovered 11 firearms in carry-on bags at airport checkpoints per million passengers.
Here are Top 10 airports for firearms discoveries so far this year. Note that the most firearms have been found at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), and that three Texas airports (DFW, IAH, and DAL) are on this list.
We’re still missing the corny communications TSA’s Blogger Bob Burns once shared with the public, but Lisa Farbstein and the team on duty now are doing a great job of keeping the public informed with light but serious messages about what can and cannot go through airport security checkpoints.
Assault rifles aren't allowed on airplanes so there's no need to bring a gun magazine for an assault rifle with you. Besides, it's prohibited from being brought onto a flight. This one detected in a carry-on bag recently by @TSA officers at @PHLAirportpic.twitter.com/7PYHllDPvB
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) July 19, 2021
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) July 19, 2021
The tweets about the guns and other weapons people try to take through airport security checkpoints always alarm us, but this Tweet and the story of a TSA officer finding and returning a lost diamond is very heartwarming.
.@TSA at @JFKairport returned this diamond that fell out of a newlywed's ring at one of the checkpoints recently. The traveler was relieved to find out that the stone was found. "Our trip went from a chaotic moment to one at peace." Here's the full story: https://t.co/qDveY6xcBqpic.twitter.com/bhHjZ3IFUg
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) July 19, 2021
If one of the many things worrying you during this pandemic has been how to get to a Department of Motor Vehicles office so you can get a driver’s license or identification card that is REAL ID compliant, you can relax.
The Department of Homeland Security has decided to delay the deadline for this. Yet again.
The latest deadline for this was supposed to be October 1, 2021. But now the deadline has been pushed back 19 months to May 3, 2023.
“Protecting the health, safety, and security of our communities is our top priority,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. “As our country continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, extending the REAL ID full enforcement deadline will give states needed time to reopen their driver’s licensing operations and ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card.”
What is the big deal about REAL ID?
After the terrorist hijackings on September 11, 2001, Congress passed the Real ID act with the idea of adding extra layers of security to the driver’s licenses and other identification documents travelers show when seeking to board an airplane.
Many states have had a hard time (or were opposed to) meeting the stricter requirements, so enacting the law has been delayed many times already.
Now, if nothing else causes the READ ID deadline to be pushed back yet again, beginning May 3, 2023, every air traveler 18 years of age and older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another TSA-acceptable form of identification (such as a passport) at airport security checkpoints for domestic air travel.
How do you know if you have a driver’s license that’s REAL ID compliant? In most states, there is a star in the upper, right hand corner. To see what the procedure is in your state, check the DHS REAL ID page.
Americans who obtain a REAL ID are getting a “REAL” upgrade. By May 3, 2023, a REAL ID-compliant license, identification card or acceptable ID is needed to board domestic flights, enter nuclear power plants, and access certain federal facilities. https://t.co/0UrFkItRtC
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:
Over the last two days, employees & the public came together to help support our Airline Management Council's donation drive at MCO. These goods are being made available to airport federal employees affected by the partial shutdown. We thank them for their dedication & hard work. pic.twitter.com/DBlh4T88gr
Thank you to the @TSA employees working hard at our security screening checkpoints! @SouthwestAir, @JetBlue, and our Airport Police Department have brought breakfast and lunches to #TSA personnel this week. An anonymous donor also donated coupons for 80 coffees! @TSA_Bilellopic.twitter.com/lNrTdQfMmf
UPDATE: At today's special meeting, the Council unanimously endorsed our proposal to create a short-term loan program for federal employees @FlySJC. @CityofSanJose staff has already started working on logisitics & will return to Council next week. https://t.co/s7dUfiPh67
Long(er) checkpoint lines – and checkpoint closures
Due to staffing issues associated with the partial shutdown of the federal government, passengers are finding longer lines tha usual at many airport security checkpoints.
#ATL is experiencing longer than usual wait times during peak travel. Please plan ahead and give yourself 3 hours to clear security. ✈️
On Monday, Harstfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had checkpoint wait times exceeding an hour. And George Bush International Airport (IAH) said its security checkpoint and ticketing counter in Terminal B would remain closed through Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019.
Fiji Airways airfare deal
Fiji Airways has a two-for-one airfare deal right now. “The Great Companion Getaway” is available to purchase January 12 to 19 for travel from January 21 through March 31, 2019 and includes flights to Fiji from Honolulu, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Buy one all-inclusive ticket and pay just for the taxes on a companion ticket. Details here.
$49 flights to Europe on WOW Air – with lots of caveats
WOW Air, the budget Icelandic airline that expanded quickly but is now cutting many routes, has announced $49 sale fares to some European cities from the U.S., all with stops (or free stopvers) in Iceland’s KEF airport.
Fares are on sale now through January 18 (or until seats sell out) for a limited number of dates and flights between January 21 and March 11, 2019.
Keep in mind that WOW Air charges for just about everything – including carry-on bags that go in the overhead bin, reserved seats and in-flight meals, so that $49 fare may be significantly higher once you add in the “extras.”
Stellar credit card offer from Southwest
There are lots of airline credit card offers out there (and blogs devoted to getting you to apply for them) but Southwest Airlines currently has a generous promotion that some say takes things to a new level.
The deal, available through February 11, promises 30,000 Southwest rewards points – plus a compantion pass for the rest of the year – to those who sign up for the airline’s credit card and charge $4,000 to the card in first three months.
