Pittsburgh airport officials concerned about Real ID numbers 6 months from deadline

PennDOT has officially been issuing Real ID cards for a year, but officials disagree on what to make of the progress.

Since March 1, 2019, more than 826,000 people have obtained a Real ID.

The department projected last year that 1.3 million customers would obtain a card before the federal deadline of Oct. 1, according to a news release.

“We’re seeing really healthy numbers in terms of Real ID issuance,” said Diego Sandino, a spokesman for Driver and Vehicle Services at PennDOT. “We’re right where PennDOT projected it would be.”

The guidelines for getting a Real ID driver’s license are published here: dmv.pa.gov/REALID.

Allegheny County Airport Authority officials are less optimistic. Vince Gastgeb, vice president for government and corporate affairs, said he’s not convinced that enough people are cognizant of the Real ID deadline.

“From our standpoint, the numbers are not keeping up with the flying passengers in Pennsylvania,” Gastgeb said, which he estimated to be between 15 and 17 million people.

PennDOT said they’ve interacted with about 2.7 million customers in the last year. Around 1.8 million have chosen not to participate or use an alternative form of identification.

Sandino said the goal isn’t so much to get every Pennsylvania driver to sign up for the card. But PennDOT wants people to make a choice between getting a Real ID card or use another federally-acceptable form of identification, such as a passport or military ID card, well in advance of Oct. 1. Alternatives to Real ID are listed on the Transportation Security Administration website.

“Some have an alternative form of ID, and that’s OK,” Sandino said. “We want to make sure people are thinking about Real ID and making that conscious decision to obtain one or not obtain one.”

All told, Sandino said that PennDOT’s projected number of Real ID users will equate to about 26% of state driver’s license-holders.

Gastgeb said the Airport Authority is more concerned about reaching people who fly only once a year or less but find themselves attending a wedding, a class reunion or a funeral and need to fly. Those are the customers, he said, who aren’t aware of Real ID requirements.

“We don’t want to see someone being denied going through TSA security checkpoint,” Gastgeb said.

In the next seven months, Sandino said PennDOT has planned informational sessions across the state to inform the public of their Real ID options. Additionally, according to a news release, PennDOT has upgraded existing driver’s license centers and added new locations to allow for over-the-counter issuance of the cards.

“Although October may seem far away right now, we encourage customers who want a Real ID to get one as soon as possible,” PennDOT Acting Secretary Yassmin Gramian said in a statement.

Gastgeb said the Airport Authority is doing everything it can to collaborate with PennDOT, post signage, hold press events and promote Real ID on social media. As the federal deadline looms closer, he recommended flyers visit one of the designated PennDOT locations where customers can get the card over-the-counter, to expedite the process. In Allegheny County, this location is at 1025 Washington Pike, Route 50, in Bridgeville.