Little turbulence at Pittsburgh International as Real ID rules take effect

Tracy Moffat experienced only a minor hiccup with her Real ID as she used it for the first time Wednesday to fly from Boston to Pittsburgh.

The identification requirement, which went into effect Wednesday, mandates anyone 18 or older present a Real ID or other acceptable identification — like a passport or global entry card — to board domestic flights or enter certain federal or military facilities.

Officials have long warned this mandate would be coming, so Moffat, 52, prepared early. She obtained her Real ID about four years ago, at the same time she needed to renew her driver’s license.

As she prepared to board a flight to Pittsburgh International Airport for her son’s graduation at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, she hit a snag. The camera matching people to the photos on their identification didn’t recognize her, she said.

The issue was quickly resolved, as a TSA supervisor verified her identity. Moffat said it was a 10-minute delay.

“It wasn’t a huge inconvenience,” she said, adding she plans to bring her passport next time as a backup.

Lines were short at Pittsburgh International on Wednesday, with no indications that Real ID mandates were slowing TSA checks.

Officials have assured travelers who don’t have Real ID or other compliant identification that they’ll still be able to fly after additional security checks. A TSA spokesperson told TribLive this week the screenings should not increase security wait times but declined to provide details of what the process would entail.

Allegheny County Airport Authority spokesman Bob Kerlik said airport officials have been sharing information about Real ID requirements with travelers.

He urged passengers to plan for extra screening time as officials implement the policy.

“Things are going very well today with regard to Real ID enforcement at PIT and at airports across the country,” regional TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said in a written statement. “We are seeing no impact to wait times or TSA screening operations.”

Already, she said, 81% of passengers use Real ID or other compliant identification. She could not provide a breakdown of how many people were subject to additional screenings.

Jason Hopkinson, 50, of Phoenix, was preparing to fly to Arizona from Pittsburgh International. He was using a passport because he hasn’t gotten a Real ID yet.

“I just haven’t had time to do it,” he said, though he acknowledged he’d known for quite a while that the requirements were coming.

He’s watched relatives go through the process easily, and he plans to get one soon.

“Is it a pain to have to get another form? Yeah,” he said. “Who wants another? But it is what it is.”

Carter Horinda, 24, of Crafton, was similarly delaying getting a Real ID. He planned to use a passport for his trip Wednesday.

“I have to worry about it less than the Real ID,” he said, explaining it seemed simpler to use a document he already had.

But his travel partner, Megan Anderson, 21, of Bloomsburg, opted to have a Real ID ready for their trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. She waited about 3½ hours at the DMV a few weeks ago.

“It was inconvenient, but I really didn’t have a problem with it,” she said. “I was going to get it at some point anyway.”

Cal Wilson, 65, arrived at Pittsburgh International early Wednesday morning. The Maine native recently got his Real ID in the mail — but, out of habit, he used his passport instead.

He’s pleased with the added security the Real ID process aims to provide.

“The safer we’re going to be, the better it is,” he said.

But Nate Stuyvesant, 58, of Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood, wasn’t convinced the additional identification requirements would make traveling safer.

“I’m not sure it serves a lot, just getting a star on your driver’s license,” he said. “I’m not exactly sure what it proves.”

It was a hassle for his wife, Leta Koontz, 58. She said it was an “arduous” experience to wait over two hours at the DMV in March.

It had been much quicker when Stuyvesant got his a couple years ago.

“It took me no time because nobody else was going at that time,” he said.

Stuyvesant and Koontz have Real IDs but were traveling with passports because they were en route to Portugal.

“It’s kind of a non-issue” for international flights that would require a passport anyway, he said.