One Missing Card Could Cost You $45 at the Thanksgiving Airport

Thanksgiving week is the first big test of what happens when a traveler reaches a US checkpoint without the right ID. Since REAL ID enforcement became fully effective on May 7, 2025, standard driver’s licenses that are not REAL ID compliant are no longer accepted. Travelers without a REAL ID or a passport can still fly, but they must go through a TSA identity-verification process called ConfirmID.

According to The Travel, ConfirmID costs $45 and adds roughly 15 to 30 minutes of identity verification at the airport. The same piece cites a secondhand source suggesting the receipt may stay valid for ten days, which could cover a return trip. That detail is unverified, so it is worth confirming with the TSA before relying on it.

Timing matters as much as paperwork. The Travel says Sunday, November 29 is expected to be the busiest day at US airports, noting that the TSA screened a record 3,134,613 people on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2025. It also reports that about 54 percent of peak-period screenings happen before noon, and that Thanksgiving Day itself tends to be the least crowded day to fly.

The simplest fix is to check whether your license is REAL ID compliant before you leave home, or to carry a passport instead. Anyone who has to take the ConfirmID route is better off adding an extra half hour to the airport timeline than risking a missed flight. The article also notes that travelers aged 75 and older receive modified screening, and that wearing a single removable outer layer can speed things up at the belt.

Sources: The Travel