Real ID deadline is here for real. Not everyone has one, and not everyone needs one. Here's an update.

A Real ID or A passport is required to board U.S.
commercial aircraft. (Adobe Stock photo)

After years of extensions and missed deadlines, the Transportation Security Administration's Real ID requirements for U.S. domestic airport travelers and individuals looking to enter military or federal buildings went into effect this week.

"Congress passed the Real ID Act back in 2005 to beef up aviation security post-9/11," Alex Fitzpatrick of Axios reports. "But the deadline for actually requiring compliant ID cards has been repeatedly delayed."

Leading up to its May 7 start date, TSA said that 81% of people going through their checkpoints had Real IDs or another form of accepted identification, such as a passport. Gaby Del Valle of The Verge reports, U.S. citizens that don't fly or need to access TSA checkpoint buildings may opt to stick with standard state-issued ID for now.

Real ID compliance has varied by state, which is unsurprising since some states have larger numbers of residents with passports. Fitzpatrick reports, "Nearly 47% of Americans lack a valid passport as of fiscal 2024. . . . West Virginia (79.3%), Mississippi (77.9%), and Alabama (72.3%) have the greatest shares of citizens lacking a passport."

USA Today journalists headed out to various airports across the country to see how the Real ID rollout was going in real time. According to their reports, airport lines were no longer than usual and most travelers reported no delays. 

TSA Regional Spokesperson Mark J. Howell "warned traffic would pick up heading into holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July," reports USA Today. Howell told reporters, "Here in Nashville, specifically, with CMA Fest and Bonnaroo, you're going to have a lot of people coming from everywhere. So if you haven't gotten (a Real ID), now is the time to do it if you plan to travel later, because the volume from here is only going to go up.”

View TSA ID guidelines here. 

More than 14 small airports have lost commercial service; rural places face travel costs, job loss and more isolation

Boarding at a small airport (Photo by Billy Calzada, San Antonio Express-News)

Airlines don't have enough pilots to fly all their planes, so, in response, service to rural areas has been facing cuts at an "almost unheard of pace," reports Liz Crampton of Politico. "Since January 2020, at least 324 airports have seen service cuts, losing an average of 30 percent of their flights, according to the Regional Airline Association. More than 14 airports have lost commercial service completely, including places such as Mobile, Ala.; Ogden, Utah; Stowe, Vt., and Williamsport, Pa. . . . Drew Jacoby Lemos, vice president of government affairs for the RAA, said that his membership has more than 400 planes grounded because airlines can’t find enough pilots to fly them."

Since the pandemic began in early 2020, "National airlines have rapidly pulled out of rural airports. . . . It's fostering a sense of isolation that's frustrated small-town Americans fed up with big business and Washington," Crampton writes. "American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Airlines say they are constrained by a pilot shortage that has forced them to scale back service or stop flying entirely from certain airports. In the face of a financial squeeze, routes from regional airports are often the first to be eliminated. . . . American alone said its lack of pilots has been the equivalent of taking more than 150 regional planes out of service."

Carriers' desertion of Iowa's Dubuque airport is an example of what the loss costs a region. "Now, locals and visitors need to drive approximately 80 miles to Moline or Cedar Rapids, or, to get to bigger destinations, three hours to Chicago, mostly using a two-lane road," Crampton writes. "Losing air service cost the Dubuque airport nearly 200 jobs and reduced its economic output by more than $26 million, according to an economic impact analysis the city paid for comparing data from 2019 to 2022. . . . Repercussions may extend beyond financial losses. Dubuque Mayor Brad Cavanagh believes that nothing else will have a greater impact on politics in the decade ahead than further isolating cities like his." Cavanagh told Crampton, "In rural communities like ours, there's no way we're going to survive long-term without air service. We're going to die a slow, agonizing death."

Crampton reports, "States can try to expand the pool of pilots by expanding flight education programs and recruitment of high school students. But the airline industry believes the most effective solution to resolving the shortage needs to come at the federal level. . . . As Congress gears up for Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization, cities grappling with reduced service are lobbying lawmakers to grow the size of a grant program designed to help small communities address air service issues. . . . .There's also an effort to increase student loan caps for accredited pilot training programs to ease education costs."

Meanwhile, airlines have raised pilots' hourly wages. "To attract more people to the profession," Crampton adds. "First-year captains working at the regional carriers under American Airlines will earn $146 an hour and entry-level pilots $90 an hour, up from $78 and $51 an hour, the company announced last year." Across the board, airlines such as Delta Air have increased pilot salaries and negotiated contracts that address work/life balance; those changes could help pilots servicing smaller regions tap into additional benefits.

Group that helps with abortion access in Midwest, including flights from small, rural airports, sees a spike in interest

A group called Elevate Access arranges transportation to abortion clinics from small airports. (Photo via The Daily Yonder)

"An organization that facilitates safe abortion access in the Midwestern United States says that it will most likely double the number of clients they support this year compared to last year," Kristi Eaton reports for The Daily Yonder. "Midwest Access Coalition assists with the costs of obtaining an abortion, including transportation, gas, food, medication and child care. . . . In 2021, the organization supported 800 people seeking abortions. This year, that number was reached in mid-July, meaning that they will more than likely double the number for 2022." So says Alison Dreith, the organization's director of strategic partnerships.

Dreith told Eaton that while Midwest Access serves rural and urban residents alike, rural clients often have the hardest time getting care because they live far from clinics. Many don't have the time or money to travel such long distances; in the wake of the overturn of Roe v. Wade, more are getting abortion pills online and self-managing their abortions at home because of travel difficulties.

"Midwest Access Coalition recently started a partnership with Elevated Access, which works with volunteer pilots to provide flights to patients seeking abortions and gender-affirming care," Eaton reports. Most Americans live within 30 minutes of a municipal airport, though many don't realize it because the airfields are so small, Dreith said. 

An Elevated Access employee told Eaton that these small airports offer clients privacy not found at larger airports. "There’s no TSA, there’s nobody asking you all these questions," she said. "When you drive up to the plane, the pilot welcomes you on board, flies you to where you need to go, you do your medical procedure."

"Currently, Elevated Access works with 800 volunteer pilots, but is hoping to recruit additional volunteers. Some may be more concentrated in certain areas, like California," Eaton reports. "They are specifically looking for pilots who can fly out of rural communities with patients."

Wireless carriers delay 5G rollout near airports amid safety concerns; smaller airports could be more susceptible

AT&T and Verizon are launching their 5G (fifth generation) cellular service today, but have agreed to delay the rollout near some airports amid concerns that the new technology could interfere with some airplanes' navigational systems. Smaller and rural airports may be disproportionately affected, since 5G tech is more likely to interfere with old altimeters in the smaller planes that use them, CBS News reports. Other nations have rolled out 5G networks without issue, but 5G towers in the rural U.S. are permitted to emit stronger signals than those in other countries.

The Federal Aviation Administration and major airlines have repeatedly warned wireless carriers that 5G signals could interfere with older altimeters, critical instruments that measure a plane's altitude. AT&T and Verizon delayed the rollout twice in the past month or so, but said that regulators and airlines have had years to prepare for 5G, Niraj Chokshi and David McCabe report for The New York Times.

The FAA will allow planes with newer, more accurate altimeters to operate around 5G, but planes with older altimeters won't be allowed to make landings under low-visibility conditions. Airlines canceled or delayed flights at dozens of U.S. airports today in response to the rollout, CBS reports. Reuters has an excellent explainer on 5G and whether it threatens airline safety.

Rural residents have harder time acquiring 'Real IDs'

American residents must have an enhanced form of identification called a Real ID by Oct. 1, or they will need a passport to board domestic flights or enter military bases or federal buildings. But some rural residents are having a hard time getting access to the motor-vehicle agencies that issue such IDs.

That's because not every office issues Real IDs, obliging many rural and suburban residents to make long treks to the nearest one that does. And compounding the transportation and time issue, Real IDs require more documents to verify one's identity, and many say they've had to make several trips to get it right, Chris Davis reports for News Channel 5 in Nashville.

In addition, some states have been dealing with glitch-ridden delays in implementing the new system, Elaine Povich reports for Stateline. A late start means a smaller window for rural residents to get a Real ID.

The problem is especially acute in Alaska, where many rural residents must rely on small planes to get to the nearest motor-vehicle agency. One resident said it cost her about $200 one way, Becky Bohrer reports for The Associated Press.

Trump infrastructure plan is 25% rural, but states and localities would bear most financial burden for projects

Working on a water line near Torrey, Utah (Photo from National Rural Water Association)

President Trump announced his long-awaited infrastructure plan today, calling for federal investment of $200 billion, $50 billion of it designated for rural areas. But most of the money would have to come from state and local governments. UPDATE, Feb. 14: "Hardly anyone believes that $200 billion federal dollars will produce an additional $1.3 trillion investment from non-federal sources, especially when state and local budgets are being squeezed by rising costs for education and health care," writes William Galston of the Brookings Institution.

"The bulk of the dollars in the Rural Infrastructure Program will be allocated to state governors, giving states the flexibility to prioritize their communities’ needs," the plan says. "The remaining funds will be distributed through rural performance grants to encourage the best use of taxpayer dollars." The plan calls for "reducing regulatory barriers" to infrastructure projects, including faster permitting, with a “one agency, one decision” structure for environmental reviews, which could last no longer than two years.

The plan says it is designed to spur investment of $1.5 billion in infrastructure, the great majority of it from state and local governments and private sources. "Critics say that will lead to higher state and local taxes, and an increased reliance on user fees, such as tolls, water and sewer fees, transit fares and airline ticket taxes," David Schaper reports for NPR. "Half of the funding, $100 billion, will be used as incentives to entice cities, counties and states to raise at least 80 percent of the infrastructure costs themselves. . . .That's a radical departure from the way many projects are funded now. Funding for federal-aid highways, including interstates, is usually allocated in an 80-20 federal-state split."

Schaper reports, "Critics worry that would lead to only projects that could generate revenue, such as toll roads or bridges, getting funded." Revenue-generating projects are usually in urban areas; rural areas tend to rely more on direct government support. The plan also has a subsidy for the Rural Utilities Service, a Department of Agriculture agency that funds broadband, electric, water and wastewater projects, and new mineral-lease revenues to fund projects in national parks and on other public lands infrastructure. It also opens the door to sales of assets by government-owned utilities: the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Southwestern Power Administration, and the Bonneville Power Administration in the Northwest, The Daily Yonder reports.

Schaper adds, "Senior White House officials who briefed reporters over the weekend say the plan is aimed at fixing the current system of funding infrastructure that they say is broken in two ways. The first is that the country has been under-investing in infrastructure, leading a state of growing disrepair. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives the nation a grade of D+ for the condition of transit, highway, bridge, rail, water and other infrastructure, and says the country is in need of an investment of $2 trillion more than is currently budgeted. The second way the White House says the system is broken is in the lengthy federal permitting process, which officials say can take five to 10 years or longer, driving up costs."