CONTACT:      

Caleb Tiller, +1 703-684-0836 ext. 138, ctiller@nbta.org
Nicole Hayes, +1 703-684-0836 ext. 133, nhayes@nbta.org 

Business Travel Industry Commends Homeland Security for REAL ID Extension

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) – the voice of the business travel industry – today praised the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for extending the deadline for REAL ID compliance. NBTA had urged DHS last week to extend the original December 31 deadline to avoid hassles for fliers without a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license.

Michael W. McCormick, NBTA Executive Director & COO, said:

"We are pleased that DHS has taken the advice of the travel industry by extending the REAL ID compliance deadline for states. This extension avoids unfair targeting of the residents and citizens of an overwhelming number of states who would have been caught between the policies of their states and the federal government.

NBTA is hopeful this extension period will allow Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, and the states to find common ground on identification documents acceptable for demonstrating identity when boarding a flight."                                                    

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and corporate meetings organization. NBTA and its regional affiliates – NBTA Australia / New Zealand, the Brazilian Business Travel Association (ABGEV), NBTA Canada, NBTA Europe, NBTA Mexico, and NBTA USA – serve a network of more than 17,000 business travel professionals around the globe with industry-leading events, networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. NBTA members, numbering more than 5,000 in 30 nations, are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers. They collectively manage and direct more than US$340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually on behalf of more than 13 million business travelers within their organizations. For more information, visit www.nbta.org