Real ID enforcement at Boston's Logan Airport was smooth on first day, TSA says
May 7 marks the first day of Real ID enforcement and a TSA New England spokesperson told WBZ-TV it's been a smooth day of travel for airports in the region.
Even the procrastinators made sure they had a Real ID before the policy kicked in Wednesday morning.
"Usually, I'm the last one for stuff like this," traveler Ashley Olive said. "But I got the jump on it this time."
Others arrived at Terminal A without one after struggling to get an appointment for weeks at the RMV.
"You can't get an appointment, or it says in a month or something," Areta Odiah said before going through TSA. "Honestly, it's tough."
It's a good thing she had her passport on hand - another acceptable form of identification to get through airport security checkpoints.
If you rely on your driver's license to fly domestically - it now has to be a Real ID. You can tell if it's a Real ID if there's a gold or black star on the upper right corner.
Stricter screenings for passengers without Real ID
TSA New England spokesperson Dan Velez said passengers without one will get pulled out of line for stricter screenings.
"It can include ID verification where we're going to ask you a bunch of questions to verify your identity. It could include a bag search. It could include a hand swab, pat down," Velez said. "We have different techniques that we use and it's never the same. It varies from person to person, and it also varies from airport to airport."
It's been a smooth travel day at Logan with little delays and Velez believes the weeks of reminders have helped.
"All the media attention that's been on it for the last two weeks - I'm like that's done. I'm done with that," traveler Heidi Oppel said.
Others say a passport will have to do for now.
"I will definitely get it soon," Odiah said.
May 7 isn't the deadline to get a Real ID, it's the start of enforcement. If you have a passport or another acceptable form of identification, you can use that and make an appointment for a Real ID at another date.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
🍷 The 2025 USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience is back this fall: Buy tickets here
🍷 The 2025 USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience is back this fall: Buy tickets here Get your tickets for the fall festival in eight different cities. Enjoy local food and drink, demos and mixology classes. Foodies, wine lovers and cocktail connoisseurs, mark your calendars and prep your palates! The 2025 USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience is returning with a delicious fall tour across eight cities nationwide. Whether you're a seasoned sommelier or just here for the snacks, this might just be the culinary road trip of the year. Kicking off on Saturday, September 20 in Denver, Colorado, and wrapping up in sunny West Palm Beach, Florida on Saturday, November 22, this year's Wine & Food Experience promises more flavor, flair and foodie fun than ever before. Check out the 2025 schedule below and get your tickets today! 'We're thrilled to bring the 2025 USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience to cities nationwide as we add San Antonio and West Palm Beach to this year's lineup,' said Nate Scott, Vice President of Sports Strategy & Events, Gannett I USA TODAY Network. 'This tour highlights local restaurants and businesses, celebrates regional flavors and creates a memorable experience for food and drink lovers in every community we visit.' Tickets to the USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience are available at General Admission tickets cost $60 and include standard event entry at 1:00pm, a tasting cup, all food and beverage samples, access to mixology classes and more. Limited quantities of Early Admission tickets are available for $70, which includes early entry at 12:00pm to the full USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience. Buy tickets here Got your tickets? Shop popular summer essentials ahead of the festival More: 🥤 Stanley tumblers are as little as $15 at this crazy summer sale
Entrepreneur
an hour ago
- Entrepreneur
TSA Warns Air Travelers About Airport 'Juice Jacking' Scam
Here's how to protect yourself from falling victim to a cybercrime that targets air travelers. Looking to give your phone a little extra juice before boarding your flight? Think twice — and then think again – before plugging directly into a public USB charging station. In a Facebook post, the TSA warns that those stations are prime hunting spots for data and identity thieves, thanks to a practice called "juice jacking." Per the TSA's post, "Hackers can install malware at USB ports (we've been told that's called 'juice/port jacking'). So, when you're at an airport do not plug your phone directly into a USB port." Related: Instagram Head Adam Mosseri Experiences Google Phishing Scam You don't have to let your devices die, however. The TSA writes: "Bring your TSA-compliant power brick or battery pack and plug in there." Power outlets cannot be hacked the way USB ports can, so you can safely recharge with no worries. The TSA also warns about the dangers of Wifi hacking. "Don't use free public WiFi, especially if you're planning to make any online purchases. Do not ever enter any sensitive info while using unsecure WiFi," the agency warns, adding that travellers should use cellular or enable a VPN if connecting to Wifi. In this growing age of cybercrime sophistication, caution is going to be your best ally in protecting your passwords, finances, photos, and everything else we store on our phones.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
One year from World Cup opener, FIFA leaves questions unanswered on tickets and security
NEW YORK (AP) — A year from the largest World Cup ever, there has been no announcement on general ticket sales, prices for most seats, location of a draw or security arrangements as FIFA has mostly avoided disclosing details of an event set for 16 stadiums across the United States, Mexico and Canada. There is uncertainty about whether fans from some nations will be welcome — 11 of the venues are located in the U.S., where all matches will be played from the quarterfinals on. Security is a concern, too. At the last major soccer tournament in the U.S., the 2024 Copa America final at Miami Gardens, Florida, started 82 minutes late after spectators breached security gates. 'That was certainly a reminder and a wake-up call if anybody needed it that those types of things are going to be used in terms of the ultimate assessment of whether this World Cup is successful,' said former U.S. defender Alexi Lalas, now Fox's lead soccer analyst. U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban on citizens from 12 nations exempted athletes, coaches, staff and relatives while not mentioning fans. Vice President JD Vance made what could be interpreted as a warning on May 6. 'Of course everybody is welcome to come and see this incredible event. I know we'll have visitors probably from close to 100 countries. We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game,' he said. 'But when the time is up they'll have to go home. Otherwise they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem,' he added, speaking alongside Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Back in U.S. for first time in 32 years The 1994 World Cup sparked the launch of Major League Soccer with 12 teams in 1996, and $50 million in World Cup profits seeded the U.S. Soccer Foundation, tasked with developing the sport's growth. MLS now has 30 teams, plays in 22 soccer specific stadiums and has club academies to grow the sport and improve talent. Next year's tournament will include 104 games, up from 64 from 1998 through 2022, and the 11 U.S. stadiums are all NFL homes with lucrative luxury suites and club seating. It also will be the first World Cup run by FIFA without a local organizing committee. 'The legacy initiative of 2026 is around how we ensure that soccer is everywhere in this county,' U.S. Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson said. 'How do we ensure that every American can walk, ride their bike or take public transit to a safe place to play soccer? How do we make it to where every school in America has soccer accessible to their students? And how do we make it to wherever every American can truly see themselves in the game?' Interest in soccer has vastly increased in the U.S., with England's Premier League averaging 510,000 viewers per match window on NBC's networks last season and the European Champions League final drawing more than 2 million viewers in each of the past five years on CBS. However, CBS broadcast just 26 of 189 Champions League matches on TV in 2024-25 and streamed the rest. MLS drew about 12.2 million fans last year, second to 14.7 million in 2023-24 for the Premier League's 20 teams, but MLS has largely disappeared from broadcast TV since starting a 10-year contract with Apple TV+ in 2023. Apple spokesman Sam Citron said the company does not release viewer figures. In a fractured television landscape, different deals were negotiated by FIFA, UEFA, MLS, the NWSL, the USSF and the five major European leagues. 'You basically have over 2,800 game windows per season aired in the United States and so that requires distribution largely on streaming platforms like Paramount+ or ESPN+, but it's difficult for new fan adoption and it makes reach kind of challenging,' said Gerry Cardinale, managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners, which holds controlling interests in AC Milan and Toulouse and owns a non-controlling stake of Fenway Sports Group, parent of Liverpool. 'Kids today are getting weaned on Premier League football and Serie A football, and when you watch that as a product, it's hard for MLS to compete.' 1994 World Cup set attendance record The 1994 World Cup, a 24-nation tournament, drew a record 3.58 million fans for 52 matches. Ticket prices ranged from $25-$75 for most first round games and $180-$475 for the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. FIFA, which has about 800 people working at an office in Coral Gables, Florida, says it will announce information on general tickets in the third quarter. It wouldn't say whether prices will be fixed or variable. Hospitality packages are available on FIFA's website through On Location. For the eight matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, including the final on July 19, prices range from $25,800 to $73,200 per person. Variable ticket pricing possible FIFA appears to be using variable pricing for this year's Club World Cup, played at 12 U.S. stadiums from June 14 to July 13, and some prices repeatedly have been slashed. Marriott Bonvoy, a U.S. Soccer Federation partner, has been offering free tickets to some of its elite members. Asked about Club World Cup ticket sales and team base camp arrangements, Manolo Zubiria, the World Cup's chief tournament officer, hung up four minutes and five questions into a telephone interview with The Associated Press. Brendan O'Connell, the publicist who arranged the interview, wrote in an email to the AP: 'The guest was not prepared for those questions.' FIFA's media relations staff would not make FIFA president Gianni Infantino available to discuss the tournament. Ahead of the 1994 World Cup, FIFA announced in May 1992 the draw would take place at Las Vegas on Dec. 18 or 19, 1993. FIFA has not revealed plans for this year's draw but appears to be planning for Las Vegas on Dec. 5. Regular ticket sales began in February 1993 for the U.S. soccer family and general first- and second-round sales started that June. Fans submitted lottery applications in October 1993 for games from the quarterfinals on. Teams could train away from World Cup cities While not detailing ticketing plans for next year's tournament, FIFA is spreading it beyond the host cites and lists about 60 possible base camps for teams to use, paired with hotels. Some are fancy — The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia — and some more Spartan — the Courtyard by Marriott Mesa at Wrigleyville West in Arizona. Thousands of arrangements must be coordinated. Major League Baseball is drawing up its schedule to ensure that the four teams whose ballparks share parking lots with World Cup stadiums — in Arlington, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Philadelphia; and Seattle — won't play home games on the dates of tournament matches. Boris Gartner, CEO of La Liga North America, a joint venture of the Spanish soccer league and Relevent Sports, said the 2026 World Cup should be viewed as just another step in the sport's long-term growth in the United States. 'If you have a clear understanding of the market and the audience, a clear understanding of the value that these properties bring to media companies, and you mix content with a commercial strategy, with the right media distribution strategy, this is something that will continue to grow over the next two decades,' he said. 'If more people are watching the NWSL, more people are going to be interested in soccer that could potentially end up watching a Bundesliga game or La Liga game.' ___ AP soccer:
