‘Super smooth’: Real ID requirement begins at Las Vegas airport with light lines

It was business as usual Wednesday morning at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport as federal Real ID requirements went into effect.

Most airports around the United States, including Reid airport, operated smoothly as new enhanced Real ID requirements took effect Wednesday because travelers without the updated document were still allowed to move through security easily.

Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in Terminal 1 at Reid airport saw low-to-moderate lines Wednesday morning, with no real indication that a separate area was set up to screen travelers who didn’t have a Real ID.

Not a lot of signage about the Real ID requirement was seen at Reid airport outside of a few flyers on display at the beginning of TSA checkpoints.

After years of delaying the deadline, which adds the extra security measures set forth by the Real ID Act of 2005 in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, travelers are now required to possess the federally compliant state-issued license. The licenses feature some form of a gold star or gold emblem with a star cut out of it in the upper right hand corner of the ID.

Those without a Real ID who need to fly in the near term are in luck, as Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, announced Tuesday that those with standard IDs would still be able to fly but must go through an additional security step.

People with only a standard license will probably be placed in a separate security checkpoint line than those who already possess a Real ID.

‘Super smooth’

Bailey James traveled to Las Vegas on Wednesday morning from Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a work conference. She had secured her Real ID over a year ago and said passing through the TSA checkpoint at Tulsa International Airport was a breeze. Tulsa International Airport had signage directing those with a Real ID to one line and those without one to a separate line, James said.

“It was super smooth,” James said Wednesday, while waiting for her baggage at Reid airport. “I was put in a separate line because I have the Real ID and there was like two people in the line, so it was really fast.”

DMV rush

Despite the years of messaging about the pending requirement needed to fly domestically, about 20 percent of Nevada drivers aren’t Real ID compliant, according to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.

That led to a rush of people attempting to obtain a Real ID at Las Vegas Valley DMV offices over the past few weeks. Looking to better serve those in need of a Real ID, the DMV began this week accepting walk-in customers at select offices in the valley.

Nevada’s compliance rate is on par with the U.S. as a whole, as 81 percent travelers of have a Real ID, Noem said.

John Cherry, from Mobile, Alabama, said he was one of those who waited to obtain a Real ID. After multiple trips to his local DMV office, he was turned away each time because of the rush of people also hoping to obtain a Real ID.

Cherry has an active passport, so he brought that with him on his trip to Las Vegas, which was finally beginning after originally being scheduled to fly to Southern Nevada on Monday, only to see multiple delays and cancellations along the way.

Cherry was traveling with Lorelei Koory, also of Alabama. Koory said that though they flew out of the smaller Mobile Regional Airport, she noticed TSA agents from New Orleans at security checkpoints, training local agents on the Real ID process.

Gregory Turk arrived in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning to attend the National Automatic Merchandising Association show at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Turk has possessed a Real ID for year, making sure he avoided the rush being seen at DMV offices across the nation.

“I didn’t want to get caught up in the last-minute type of situation,” Turk said. “So as soon as I heard about it (the deadline) I got proactive and got it right away.”

Clear option

Traveling through the TSA checkpoint at Chicago Midway International Airport wasn’t anything different from Turk’s previous trips. The only thing different that he noticed was that identity company Clear had a station set up ahead of the security checkpoint.

Clear offers Clear Plus membership, for $199 per year, that allows those who have yet to possess a Real ID to upload their passport or Real ID-compliant documents to get a quicker pass though security, having those preloaded on a traveler’s phone.

With the Real ID rollout date delayed multiple times over the past several years, James said she thought some people out there probably figured Wednesday’s deadline would again be extended.

“Every year it seemed like they pushed it another six months or another 12 months,” James said. “So, I was kind of shocked it happened finally.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X. The Associated Press contributed to this report.