Domestic Fliers Will Need Real ID Compliant Identification in 2023
The FAA’s proposed rules for domestic aircraft will call for the use of an Electronic Flight Bag, or EFB, that requires the holder to use real name and address information as part of their identification when taking off and landing. The FAA is seeking public comment on the proposed rule, but not on the implementation plan.
The FAA is proposing to implement the EFB requirement for all domestic aircraft, but it is unclear what the consequences will be for the use of a social security number or other ID that can be tied to a person by name. Under the proposed rule, the EFB will require holders of the ID to provide their real name (but not their last four digits of social security number) and then their social security number to use in conjunction with the EFB on any takeoff, land or take-off from a runway; and while in the air, it will require their real name and last four digits of social security number. The social security number is optional.
Although there is no proposed rule requiring real name and last four digits of social security number, the implementation plan is recommending that EFB holders not provide their social security number during takeoff or while in the air. In both cases, the plan suggests that passengers simply use their assigned ID. The plan also recommends that the EFB not be given to passengers who do not have an assigned ID.
In many ways, it is the EFB requirement that is the most important part of the proposed regulation, as the only requirement of the EFB is to be able to use it to claim that the holder had a “personal” account and to present that to the FAA. This is not unlike many other aviation ID rules, such as the FAA’s requirement that pilots check-in before takeoff, or that airlines post on the airplane the last name and social security number of each person that they transport. But instead of requiring the aircraft to be searched when leaving and entering the cabin, as is done with a boarding pass through the cockpit, the EFB requirement just has the plane itself be searched, as does the boarding pass, as