Real IDs in full effect at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The enforcement of Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses is now in full effect across the United States, including at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC).
After nearly two decades of delays, people 18 years and older traveling starting on Wednesday are now required to use either a Real ID card or their military ID, or a passport.
“I guess it’s one of the best things for our people, just being safe, right? And we need it … feeling safe in our country,” Gustavo Vesquez, a traveler at ANC, said. “I feel a lot safer, right now.”
The Real ID Act was signed into law in 2005 as an attempt to create security standards for state-issued licenses and ID cards.
“The improvements are intended to inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification,” John Essig, the Transportation Security Administration’s Security Director for airports in the New York City region, stated in a press release last month.
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), no back-ups or delays have been detected so far.
“Our operations have gone extremely smooth,” Lorie Dankers, a spokesperson for the TSA, said. “Of course, Wednesday is the low passenger volume day for us. It’s not by accident that the enforcement started today ... we’re seeing is this a very high rate of compliance. I was surprised I spent over seven hours in the security checkpoint at LAX, and the compliance rate was extremely high.”
Dankers told Alaska’s News Source she did not have statistics for compliance at ANC. However, passengers Alaska’s News Source spoke with on Wednesday said they did not experience additional delays while traveling.
“I flew out of Kenai this morning into Anchorage, and they were really smooth about it,” Cole Balduf, an ANC traveler, said. “They actually didn’t ask for IDs.”
However, one traveler did tell Alaska’s News Source that they were not expecting TSA to be looking so closely at the IDs.
“I didn’t know they were paying that much attention to it, the ID thing,” Jules Howkins, who was traveling to Dutch Harbor, said. “They said, it’s not really valid anymore, but luckily I had a passport, so it went well.”
Vincente Hernandez, who was also traveling to Dutch Harbor, told Alaska’s News Source he is also opting to use his passport instead of a Real ID while traveling.
“Passport is still the king of everything else,” Hernandez said.
According to Dankers, passengers who do not have a compliant identification card will be presented with a flyer with what forms of ID that are now acceptable to be used at TSA.
“Now with that being said, those individuals given that flyer may receive additional screening, and that’s what can cause delays,” Dankers said.
According to Dankers, people who receive a flyer will still be allowed to fly. There is no set time when that will end.
“Let me tell you that is not a strategy. What travelers need to know is if you are planning to travel by commercial air, you are going to need to verify your identity.” Dankers said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 382,694 Alaskans, according to the Department of Administration, had their Real ID. Paper temporary real ID driver’s licenses are not valid according to the TSA.
Additional IDs that are allowed to be used include Tribal IDs, military IDs, and passports. A further detailed list can be found on the TSA website.
Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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