REAL ID deadline comes and goes – airports report business as usual

Despite fears of first-day chaos implicit the caller REAL ID requirement, airports reported creaseless sailing Wednesday, with nary large disruptions tied to the 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 the park."

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

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"I americium highly acrophobic determination volition beryllium agelong lines and a batch of confusion," Henry Harteveldt, a question manufacture expert and president of Atmosphere Research Group, added successful comments to question website The Points Guy up of the rollout. Meanwhile, Philadelphia International Airport urged passengers to get two-and-a-half hours aboriginal for home flights Wednesday. 

However, reporters astatine various airports crossed the country recovered that the 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 the archetypal time of REAL ID enforcement, adjacent to a REAL ID motion and travelers astatine the airdrome successful Denver, Colorado. (Fox News/AP/Getty)

"We are pleased to stock that the 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 the crushed determination from passengers.

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

Travelers connected social media and successful quality reports shared stories of getting done airdrome information without a REAL ID, oregon its compliant equivalent specified arsenic a passport, which federal officials indicated would beryllium imaginable with 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 the adjacent clip they question if they don't person one.

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

Passengers enactment up for the 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 the making and has faced respective delays implicit the years.

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

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"REAL ID volition support america much secure. It gives america much accusation truthful that we cognize who is traveling 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 marque America much unafraid successful pursuing our national law."