TSA's New $45 Fee at U.S. Airports Unfairly Punishes Families in the Fine Print

Am I missing something obvious? What's the "fine print" that punishes a family of 4 more than a group of 4 friends?

I can't find that information anywhere in the article despite it being the entire point of the headline.

No, you're not. The fact that people think the TSA is a joke (as noted within the body of the article) is what stuck out to me. The headline is lame.

That's how I read it, it is a per person fee.

I agree I read it as being the same cost for 4 individuals.

There is a 10 day window so both groups could end up paying on the way back too.

It's just a terrible article. The primary example doesn't even make sense, since the fee only applies to those aged 18+. Basically if your "family of four" is entirely adults, and none of you ever bothered to get Real ID, and your vacation is 11+ days long, then you have to pay the per-adult fee eight times instead of four... big deal.

I am assuming this is just AI slop, given that it is needlessly 1700 words, including redundancies like "who spoke on condition of anonymity—their name is therefore off the record". Plus this gem of a final sentence regurgitating the lede and entire point of the article: "The upcoming fee will likely shift that figure even higher by February next year, when travelers without a REAL ID or a passport will have to shell out $45 when passing through airport security."

A group of four friends typically will have four incomes

A family of four typically has one or two incomes

I have travelled domestically without even providing an ID at all for my underage children. Keeping current passport-level IDs for a large family is indeed a new burden that a group of adult friends does not have to account for

For example, how often does your child need a current realID? Not until they hit the TSA. Good luck tracking all the expiries of every child, and making sure it’s all updated before your next 1hr flight to visit grandma.

I know this is HN and demographically you largely skew younger without large families, but this is a real PITA for no actual security benefit

The fee doesn't apply to children. The article is nonsensical; it even mentions this 18+ aspect but then makes an increasingly-contrived example involving "grandparents, older siblings, or extended family" (all of whom inexplicably don't have Real ID either?)