Issued to many veterans who have served in the nation’s military, a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) from the United States Armed Forces has multiple purposes — along with qualifying one for certain government benefits and discounts from some private businesses, it can also serve as TSA-approved identification on domestic flights.
Veteran IDs do not qualify for international flights for which a passport or passport card is required.
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Over in the United Kingdom, flagship carrier British Airways just announced a change in policy in which those who served in that country’s Armed Forces can use their veteran card to board flights. This makes the carrier the first airline in the United Kingdom and possibly the world to have created a policy allowing for this type of identification. A U.S. airline would not be able to change acceptable ID rules: Policy changes are dictated by the TSA.
Here is how British Airways is changing the game for acceptable ID
The change applies exclusively for domestic flights within the United Kingdom. International travel, with some rare exceptions, does not allow ID other than a passport. Previously, one needed either a passport, a driver’s license or a residency card to board British Airways flights within the UK.
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One of the reasons for the change according to British Airways comes down to honoring the “link to their military careers” that many former armed forces members carry throughout their lives.
“We know through our conversations with veterans that this card provides them with a way of maintaining a tangible link to their military careers,” British Airways CEO and Chairman Sean Doyle said in a statement. “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to make this change as it underlines our commitment to recognizing their sacrifice and service.”
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Which card do I need to fly? Domestically, things are changing
In the United States, qualified veterans can get either the regular veteran identification card or the VHIC that serves as proof of health insurance benefits and allows one to get treated at dedicated veterans hospitals. While both are issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the latter requires a more verification and thus is accepted as ID on domestic flights.
Given the differences in requirements for obtaining a driver’s license from state to state, the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA have been pushing people to change their licenses to be Real ID compliant. The idea was introduced by then-President George W. Bush as a single standard of identity verification.
While the goal is to eventually require this type of ID to board domestic flights and enter federal facilities, the deadline for when this will happen has ben pushed back repeatedly over the years — from 2008 to 2011 and then to 2015, 2018 and 2020.
The latest deadline set by the TSA is May 7, 2025 but there are already reports that this may be pushed back yet again until 2027 due to impossibility of meeting it due to both strain on issuing agencies and travelers who have gotten used to constant extensions and do not feel the urgency to renew their IDs.
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