Comment by stn8188
2 months ago
I think this was already discussed recently, but I find this quote in the article very interesting:
"Passengers don't listen, a lot of them think the TSA is a joke. The fines are a way to enforce the rules for the REAL ID," the former TSA officer told TheTravel.
I've got one very concrete reason why I do think the TSA is a joke. They list a Veterans Affairs health ID card as valid ID even after this new Real ID rule. Despite that, I was forced to go thru "extra screening" in Austin because a bunch of agents were not aware of this (even though I had a print out of the website). Even in the TSA press release announcing this new fee still lists the VA ID as sufficient, but I'll forever just recall the complete lack of professionalism and knowledge of these agents.
The TSA is a joke. The whole thing is security theater.
IMO it's intended to grid people down to accepting facial and other biological identity check.
TSA is a joke.
I've gone through more than one airport where TSA had someone yelling at everyone to keep their shoes on ... then like 20 feet later an angry TSA guy yelling at people things like "haven't you ever flown before, take off your shoes".
I dared mention that the other TSA agent up the line was telling people something different ... TSA just ignored me.
And what is the delay in those lines? It's always the scanner speed, not the people. People are usually rushing, and then just stand there and wait.
TSA operates like elementary school hall monitors all too often.
TSA has little to no accountability and once in the web little to no recourse.
How can a VA health ID card be considered a valid ID? Maybe a supplemental ID, but I can't imagine it would be allowed as a primary ID for TSA screening.
A Veteran health ID card is a government issued photo id card used to prove your identity with the government to get health care, why wouldn't it be allowed for proving your identity with the TSA.
1. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
I was surprised too, but since I have one I figured I'd use it (before I got the Real ID). It's listed as "Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)" on https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
The VA recently gave out more recent ID cards that seem more detailed than the older ones.
Yeah wow, TIL.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
It’s right there, last bullet point.
Typically, in the states, veterans are presumed to be less of a safety risk and receive preferential treatment at all sorts of venues.
But the entire point of the law is to prevent you from pretending to be somebody you aren't. So this defeats the purpose, unless the whole thing is security theater... which it is.