REAL ID requirement now in effect for travelers

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Travelers across the country are seeing new requirements at airport security checkpoints as the federal REAL ID mandate officially takes effect.

Passengers now need a compliant form of identification—such as a REAL ID driver’s license or a valid passport—to board domestic flights. Those without compliant ID may still be able to fly, but they will be subject to additional security screening.

At Wilmington International Airport, some travelers say the change hasn’t made much of a difference—especially for those who already have a REAL ID.

“I used the Real ID — pretty easy, seamless, regular travel,”
said Paul Blackledge, who flew into Wilmington on Tuesday.

“I was kind of on top of it. I got it a little while ago and then forgot I had it, so I went to the DMV like, ‘Do I have the right one?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, you’re good.’”

“No change — it’s the same thing, just an updated ID. Not too big of a deal.”

The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, establishes minimum security standards for state-issued identification. The enforcement deadline has been extended multiple times, but is now officially in place.

Travelers who do not have a REAL ID or passport must undergo additional screening—a process that Boston traveler Declan Ryan experienced firsthand.

“I couldn’t get my passport in time — it got delayed — so I had to do extra screening. They palmed my hands and I had to talk to a TSA lady who lectured me about not having the Real ID at the right time.”

Ryan said he arrived three hours early for his flight to account for the added procedures.

“They gave me a little pamphlet, scanned my hands, put it in a machine, and let me go.”

“My passport is on the way — and I have my Real ID appointment at the end of June.”

According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), approximately 81 percent of travelers this week presented a REAL ID or other compliant identification at checkpoints.