MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – There are new options for airline travelers who do not have a REAL-ID, also known as a STAR-ID, but it will cost you.
Starting February 1, airline passengers who do not have REAL-ID-compliant identification at Alabama airports must pay a $45 fee for identity verification before arriving at the TSA checkpoint.
TSA says the fee covers the cost of TSA ConfirmID, a modernized alternative identity verification system. This verification will cover a 10-day travel period, so fliers who plan their return flight within that 10- day time frame will only have to pay once.
“The fee is all about making sure that we have the most modern system to handle not only the administrative processes, the technology, and handle the six percent of the volume that is coming through our checkpoints today that do not have real ID-compliant drivers’ licenses,” TSA acting executive assistant administrator Steve Lorincz said. “So, it’s making sure that we provide an option, which is voluntary, to the customers that do not have a real-id compliant driver’s license.”
Other REAL-ID compliant forms of ID include US passports and passport cards, permanent resident cards, foreign government-issued passports, and several other forms of ID.
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