Compiled by SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS staff
With the federal STAR ID mandate set to take effect on May 7, Huntsville International Airport is bracing for travel disruptions. Potentially, hundreds of passengers daily could arrive without the required identification.
Tara Corse, the TSA’s federal security director for Alabama, told the airport’s board on Tuesday that as many as 20% of Alabamians still haven’t obtained a STAR ID, a requirement for domestic air travel under the federal REAL ID Act. The enhanced ID, issued after verifying legal presence and Social Security information, will be mandatory for boarding commercial flights unless travelers carry an alternative form of approved identification.
“There is no kicking this can down the road,” Corse warned in an interview with AL.com. “We are not going to stall, and we are not going to provide any phased approach.”
For Huntsville, this could mean up to 400 passengers per day may face delays. Those without a STAR ID will undergo additional identity verification or be turned away altogether if unable to meet identification requirements.
TSA plans to increase staff at security checkpoints to maintain smooth processing for STAR ID holders while rerouting others to additional screening lanes. Travelers without a passport or secondary government-issued ID—such as a Department of Defense card—will face enhanced procedures including pat-downs and swabbing, Corse said.
Even TSA PreCheck members without proper ID will be moved to standard screening lines and subjected to full security protocols.
“If travelers cannot pass additional screening, they will be flatly denied and sent back to the airline for rebooking,” Corse said.
The timing coincides with the airport’s busiest season for leisure travel. However, overall traffic is already seeing signs of a slowdown. Passenger volume in March was 137,120—a slight 0.6% dip from last year, marking the first year-over-year decline since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
“We kind of broke our streak,” said Airport CEO Butch Roberts. “It was still only 252 passengers short of the all-time March record, but we are seeing travel down a bit.”
Roberts attributed the decline partly to reduced federal government travel, a significant segment for Huntsville. In February, the Trump administration directed federal agencies to limit nonessential travel.
On the cargo side, however, business remains strong. The airport’s International Intermodal Center (IIC) saw nearly record-breaking activity in March, processing 4,400 rail container lifts—just shy of the 4,479 peak set in October 2007. The IIC also surpassed 1 million rail lifts since its opening in 1986.
“What’s going on there is unknown with tariffs, so shippers and buyers are building up inventory,” Roberts said. “That uncertainty has been good for us—for now.”