07-05-2025
Few issues at Atlanta airport as Real ID requirement goes into effect for flyers
The time has come. Travelers flying within the U.S. must have a state-issued ID that is 'Real ID' compliant.
The requirement went into effect on Wednesday.
If you have a Georgia driver's license and see the star in the upper right-hand corner, then you are good.
But some people at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport still had questions on Wednesday.
Channel 2's Richard Elliot spoke with Simone Reid, who was trying to board a flight back home to Tampa.
She hadn't heard that Wednesday was the first day you needed to have a Real ID-compliant form of identification to fly or face additional security screenings, meaning more delays.
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'Really? I hadn't heard that,' Reid said.
TSA spokesman Robert Spinden told Elliot they'd been working with Hartsfield-Jackson and other U.S. airports for weeks to get ready for Day One, and said it went off without a hitch.
'We developed a very detailed operational plan in advance of this day, and as you can see, it's working very well,' Spinden said.
TSA agent Alexis Pickeral thinks so, too.
She worked the initial security screening, and most people got through without a problem until she realized this woman did not have a Real ID-compliant driver's license.
That woman was facing more delays until she mentioned she had a passport with her.
'You do have your passport? Perfect. Let's go ahead and use that as an additional form of ID,' Pickeral told the woman.
'She was non-compliant, but luckily, she had a passport, which she was able to scan her passport and she was able to go through without additional screening,' Pickeral said.
Bottom line, if you have a Georgia driver's license, you're probably OK.
If you don't and aren't sure about Real ID, you can still board, but will need to get to the airport a little earlier just in case.
