Kathy Williams had May 7 circled on her calendar: It was the day she’d scheduled a flight. It was additionally the day the Transportation Security Administration’s stricter new ID guidelines have been set to take impact.
Months glided by with no luck getting her Real ID.
“You couldn’t get an appointment,” Williams mentioned. “It didn’t matter what county or what city.”
In a “very stressful” flip of occasions, she lastly acquired a short lived paper license Tuesday — lower than 24 hours earlier than her journey.
It’s a time crunch an untold variety of Americans confronted in latest weeks, packing DMVs in all 50 states forward of Wednesday, when the TSA started requiring airline passengers presenting a driver’s license as their ID to have one which meets a extra stringent federal normal.
That change, predicted for months to trigger delays at safety checkpoints, appeared to begin in addition to vacationers may have anticipated — that’s, primarily based on my expertise, and people of a number of different TPG staffers who fanned out to greater than a half dozen airports across the country Wednesday.
What we discovered at airports on Day 1 of Real ID enforcement
Arriving at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) on Wednesday, I instantly noticed airport representatives standing in entrance of the normal checkpoint lanes holding indicators, reminding passengers that they’d want a Real ID — or one other acceptable doc.
I introduced my passport, since the TSA mentioned that ought to nonetheless get vacationers by means of safety with no hitch.
Indeed, mine did — in 75 seconds, no much less, on an admittedly quiet morning at the airport.
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Farther to the north, TPG aviation contributor Edward Russell reported he “spent more time chatting with the TSA agents than waiting” at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).
Some TPG staffers did not have a Real ID
Even colleagues with no Real ID did not face a very arduous wait.
TPG’s Maggie Moran, a TSA PreCheck member, was booked on a Southwest Airlines flight out of New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
“I was diverted to a different line that was separate from regular security and was given a red slip that said my ID was noncompliant,” Moran mentioned. There, she needed to take away her sneakers and laptop computer from her bag — however was by means of the checkpoint three minutes after she acquired in line.
“No one verbally said anything to me about Real ID,” Moran famous.
TPG’s Madison Blancaflor, who additionally does not but have a Real ID, handed seamlessly by means of safety at close by Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) utilizing the expedited Clear service.
“I didn’t experience a difference today versus any other day at the airport,” Blancaflor mentioned. “They didn’t ask for my ID at Clear, so not having a Real ID wasn’t an issue.”
TSA predicted clean launch
To its credit score, TSA officers I spoke with final week had remained hopeful that the begin of Real ID enforcement would go off with no hitch. After all, the company had 20 years to arrange for the deadline, after Congress first ordered the stricter ID guidelines for air journey in 2005, following suggestions from the 9/11 Commission.
“I don’t think we’re going to have much of an operational impact come May 7,” TSA Southeast spokesperson Mark Howell advised me Friday.
But fears of lengthy wait instances remained
Still, uncertainty loomed after the company postponed the begin of the harder ID guidelines a number of instances over the previous 5 years — strikes that underscored what a dramatic shift it might be in getting 50 completely different states’ licenses as much as a standard normal.
Delta Air Lines this week advised me it might be ready to rebook prospects who missed flights due to extenuating circumstances (which presumably would come with instances the place excessive TSA traces precipitated prospects to overlook flights en masse).
And as just lately as final month, United Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella brazenly rooted for the TSA to once more postpone the begin of enforcement — one thing the company did a number of instances earlier this decade.
“Hopefully everybody’s prepared,” Nocella mentioned on the firm’s April 16 earnings name. “I kind of hope that date gets extended once again, and I’ll hope the same thing when it happens again.”
But as the peak morning journey interval got here and went Wednesday, I checked the TSA’s app – which live-tracks checkpoint delays — and located few examples of longer-than-usual wait instances.
“Things are going smoothly here … with the majority of travelers in compliance,” TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein shared from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
I flew to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), the place American Airlines representatives inside Terminal 3 prescreened passengers coming into the checkpoint to see if they’d the proper documentation.
Those that did not (I solely noticed two) weren’t barred from flying — they only acquired despatched to a separate checkpoint.
That’s in line with what Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem advised Congress Tuesday: “They may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly.”
For her half, Williams on Wednesday morning introduced each her non permanent paper ID card and her older, exhausting (non-Real ID) card.
“I had to present both of them,” she advised me, simply past safety at RDU, feeling relieved about how the entire course of went.
“Like five minutes,” she mentioned. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought.”
TPG reader Larry Kaplan advised us that his journey by means of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) was “actually quieter than usual.” He suspects TSA introduced in additional brokers to assist handle the rollout.
Still cause to be cautious
Day 1 wasn’t an ideal check case for a way clean issues will in the end run throughout the early days of Real ID enforcement. Wednesdays are routinely amongst the lightest days of the week for air journey.
How wait instances maintain up this Friday and Sunday will loom giant — as will Memorial Day weekend, journey for which ramps up in simply over two weeks, marking the unofficial begin to the summer time rush at airports.
So for now, we might suggest attending to the airport somewhat sooner than you usually would — particularly if you’re at all uncertain about whether or not you have a type of ID that is compliant.
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