Real Id Deadline Comes And Goes – Airports Report Business As Usual

Despite fears of first-day chaos complete nan caller REAL ID requirement, airports reported soft sailing Wednesday, pinch nary awesome disruptions tied to nan rollout, according to information officials.

"We didn’t spot agelong lines," 1 rider arriving astatine South Carolina's Greeneville-Spartanburg Airport from Washington-Dulles told a section reporter. "It was a locomotion successful nan park."

TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers said successful April that astir 20% of nan nationalist still lacks REAL ID compliance. When asked whether this could impact recreation times starting Wednesday, she said it’s "reasonable" to expect travelers whitethorn request to get early.

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"I americium highly concerned location will beryllium agelong lines and a batch of confusion," Henry Harteveldt, a recreation manufacture expert and president of Atmosphere Research Group, added successful comments to recreation website The Points Guy up of nan rollout. Meanwhile, Philadelphia International Airport urged passengers to get two-and-a-half hours early for home flights Wednesday. 

However, reporters astatine various airports crossed nan country recovered that nan delays immoderate feared ne'er came to fruition, and hold times were minimal. Airport and information officials confirmed their reports.

A divided photograph featuring young travelers showing their ID cards to TSA agents connected nan first time of REAL ID enforcement, adjacent to a REAL ID motion and travelers astatine nan airdrome successful Denver, Colorado. (Fox News/AP/Getty)

"We are pleased to stock that nan TSA lines are moving efficiently," Nashville International Airport said Wednesday. "Smooth operations this morning," Baltimore-Washington International Airport reported.    

"Smooth" operations were reported by airports and information officials alike. There was an accrued beingness of Homeland Security officials astatine Hartsfield-Jackson successful Atlanta, but nary complaints were reported to Fox News reporters connected nan crushed location from passengers.

Homeland Security officers astatine Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Wednesday marked nan first time erstwhile REAL ID was required for Americans wanting to fly. (Robin Rayne for Fox News Digital)

Travelers connected social media and successful news reports shared stories of getting done airdrome information without a REAL ID, aliases its compliant balanced specified arsenic a passport, which federal officials indicated would beryllium imaginable pinch further screening up of Wednesday's rollout.

Several passengers without compliant recognition were fixed a announcement indicating their IDs were not REAL ID compliant, and they should expect delays nan adjacent clip they recreation if they don't person one.

FLIGHT PASSENGERS WARN OF ‘REAL ID APOCALYPSE’ WHILE OTHERS ACKNOWLEDGE AMERICANS CAN STILL FLY

Passengers statement up for nan information checkpoint astatine Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Robin Rayne for Fox News Digital)

The national government's REAL ID request is 2 decades successful nan making and has faced respective delays complete nan years.

The rule stemmed from long-held concerns from national officials astir mendacious identification, but gained momentum and was enacted pursuing nan 9/11 attacks.

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"REAL ID will support america much secure. It gives america much accusation truthful that we cognize who is walking connected our national proscription systems and our airlines," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday successful a video from Washington-Reagan International Airport.

"Thank you everybody for each of your cooperation, and we're looking to make America much unafraid successful pursuing our national law."