5 major TSA rule changes impacting Thanksgiving | Travel News

Are you getting ready to fly out to see family members this Thanksgiving week?

Before you head to the airport, make sure you are up to hurry on the important security and journey regulation updates from the previous yr.

This Thanksgiving is shaping up to be the busiest journey vacation on file. AAA initiatives that 6 million American vacationers will take home flights during the Thanksgiving period, representing a 2% soar from the earlier yr.

With airports packed as tens of millions head to their vacation locations, it is sensible to familiarize your self with the most recent Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules to make sure a easy passage by way of security.

Here are the highest 5 major rule changes TSA has carried out since final Thanksgiving:

REAL ID is now required at TSA checkpoints

As of May 7, 2025, TSA no longer accepts state-issued IDs that fail to fulfill its enhanced requirements. Adult vacationers should now current a REAL ID for home air journey.

Passengers with out a REAL ID who “do not have another acceptable alternative form of ID will be notified of their non-compliance” and despatched to a separate space for added screening, in accordance with TSA.

To decide in case your card is REAL ID-compliant, search for a star marking on the prime. Travelers can get hold of a REAL ID by way of their state’s driver’s licensing company web site by offering the required documentation.

Alternate IDs embody:

• State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
• U.S. passport
• U.S. passport card
• DHS trusted traveler playing cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. Department of Defense ID, together with IDs issued to dependents
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• An acceptable photograph ID issued by a federally acknowledged Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, together with Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
• HSPD-12 PIV card
• Foreign government-issued passport
• Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
• U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
• Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)

Travelers can keep their footwear on now at TSA

On July 8 of this yr, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem introduced the top of the shoes-off journey coverage. This coverage was launched in 2006 following a 2001 incident when a passenger tried to hide a bomb in his shoe.

Now you will not should take off your footwear when touring by way of home airports, which can prevent the effort of yanking off your footwear and holding up the security line.

“We expect this change will drastically decrease passenger wait times at our TSA checkpoints, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience,” mentioned Noem in a assertion on the time. (*5*)

Lithium-ion battery-powered units are usually not allowed in checked baggage

The TSA introduced this yr that moveable chargers and energy banks containing a lithium-ion battery are strictly prohibited from being packed in checked baggage.

If you plan to journey with one, they have to be packed in carry-on baggage, per TSA rules. Lithium-ion batteries are succesful of overheating and inflicting fires, which is why they have to stay with you on the plane.

This prohibition extends to cellphone battery charging circumstances, rechargeable and non-rechargeable lithium batteries, cellphone batteries, laptop computer batteries, exterior batteries, and moveable chargers.

Cordless hair instruments are no longer allowed in checked baggage

The TSA has put a ban on cordless curling irons and flat irons that comprise a gasoline cartridge or butane from being stowed in your checked baggage during the summer season. However, vacationers are permitted to hold one cordless hair device of their carry-on baggage.

“A safety cover must be securely fitted over the heating element,” in accordance with FAA rules. “The device must be protected from accidental activation.”

Electric curling irons and hair straighteners that require an electrical outlet are usually not restricted and may nonetheless be packed in checked baggage.

Travelers can now digitize their passports with Apple Wallet

Apple made an announcement on Nov. 12 that vacationers can now add their passports or eligible driver’s license data into their Apple Wallet. This function is at present accepted in beta at TSA checkpoints for home journey at over 250 U.S. airports.

While this does not substitute the need for a bodily passport, it supplies vacationers with a protected and secure methodology of storing their identification electronically.