TSA to charge $45 fee for traveling without REAL ID
Starting February 1, U.S. air travelers will pay a fee if they do not have a REAL ID or other acceptable forms of identification.
Technology company CLEAR is deploying new facial recognition technology at John Glenn Columbus International Airport starting on Dec. 18, the company has announced.
The scanners, dubbed “eGates” by the company, will allow CLEAR+ members to bypass the TSA podium and go straight to security screening. Travelers scan their boarding passes and have their identities verified by a facial scan that takes under five seconds, according to the company.
The TSA has complete operational control over the eGates, with the company only handling the live photo taken at the scanner, the scanned boarding pass, identity information and the ID photo used to enroll in the program, according to the company.
CLEAR+ is a paid airport membership that allows customers to queue in a separate lane at airport security and have their identities verified by the company. Prices for the service start at $209 annually for an individual.
The eGates were first deployed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Ronald Reagan National Airport, and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in August in an effort to streamline the country’s security checkpoints before the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Miami International Airport, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Alabama, Boise Airport in Idaho, Boston Logan International Airport, and Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina will also be getting the eGates the week of Dec. 18, according to the company.
Transportation and neighborhoods reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at [email protected], at @NathanRHart on X and at nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
