As of Wednesday, U.S. travelers flying domestically are required to show a Real ID at airport checkpoints. The May 7 deadline for Americans to switch to the federally compliant identification comes after more than 20 years of being delayed. Real IDs will also be required to enter certain federal facilities.
Despite the new security requirement, it was business as usual at many airports on Wednesday, with some airport websites reporting wait times at security checkpoints of just a few minutes. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s website, for example, showed wait times ranging from 5 to 16 minutes.
At Chicago’s O’Hare airport, wait times were actually lower than usual. Jim Spriggs, TSA’s federal security director for Illinois, said 90% of O’Hare travelers were prepared for the Real ID deadline.
TSA employees at Newark Airport said they were pleasantly surprised by how prepared passengers were. Travelers at the New Jersey airport have experienced serious delays in recent days due to a mix of air traffic controller issues and staffing shortages.
At New York’s LaGuardia Airport not all travelers had their Real ID yet, although some had remembered to bring their passports, which is another acceptable form of identification for checkpoints.
“I’m hoping that it’s really quick and easy,” one woman at LaGuardia told CBS News New York. “But I will say I was really happy that I happened to bring my passport on this trip because we’re going back home.”
Another traveler was making his way from New York to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “I wish we probably picked a different day to travel because it might be a little bit tougher for everyone else, but we’ll be alright,” he said.
The TSA has extra staff on hand at airports Wednesday to help travelers and explain the differences between acceptable forms of ID. Officers are using a secondary process to confirm the identity of travelers without a Real ID, passport or other compliant form of identification.
Still, officials advised travelers to arrive at least three hours before a domestic flight, especially if they don’t have a Real ID. People without Real IDs can still fly, although they may face extra security hurdles.
The agency said it’s seeing about 81% Real ID-compliance at airports. According to a CBS News analysis from April, at least 17 states were less than 50% compliant with the law.
Those without Real ID can still apply
While the ID cards are required for domestic air travel as of Wednesday, officials have emphasized that May 7 is not the last day Americans can get a Real ID.
“The vast majority of people do not need a Real ID before Wednesday,” Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias told CBS News Chicago.
Even so, state government offices that issue driver’s licenses and state IDs have seen a significant increase in demand for Real ID, with some extending their office hours to meet the spike in applications.
In the weeks before the new ID requirement was set to take effect on Wednesday, state driver’s license agencies across the country saw lines of travelers gathered outside to secure their Real ID, which has a star marking at the upper-right part of the card.
CBS News captured long wait times at the Real ID Supercenter in downtown Chicago and the DMV in Pomona, California, where lines snaked around the block.
People who aren’t flying until later in the year can wait to make an appointment. Air travelers are also allowed to bring an alternative form of identification, such as a passport, to get through security checkpoints, according to the TSA.
A list of alternative forms of identification that will be accepted at security checkpoints can be found on the TSA’s website here.
Five states — Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont — also issue what is called an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL), or Enhanced ID. This is considered an acceptable alternative to a Real ID card.
Look out for scams
The Better Business Bureau is warning people who have yet to apply for a Real ID to keep an eye out for scams, as fraudsters look to exploit confusion around the application process.
Keep in mind that the only way to apply for a Real or Enhanced ID is to visit the DMV in-person after making an appointment. Remember that the DMV will never reach out via text, social media, email or phone to ask for personal information, CBS News Minnesota’s Pauleen Le recently reported.
“Experts say if you experience any of these, it’s likely a scam,” she said.
— CBS News’ Cassandra Guathier, Mabel Kabani, Kris Van Cleave and Maddy Wierus contributed to this report.
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. Before joining the business and finance vertical, she worked at “60 Minutes,” CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.
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