“If they do not have any acceptable ID, we strongly suggest they arrive to the airport 3 hours prior to their departure time,” Velez told Gizmodo. Even if you arrive early, however, there’s no guarantee you’ll be allowed to board your flight. So it’s much easier if you just have a Real ID that you can hand over to security.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has issued a reminder to New Yorkers about REAL ID travel: Beginning May 7, 2025, standard licenses will no longer be accepted to fly within the United States and travelers should be prepared and plan ahead before arriving at the airport to help avoid delays.

Friday found Robert Davis, a 35-year-old network engineer from Northern California, up the coast at Los Angeles International Airport. He said the switch to federally accepted ID will help reduce the use of copied or fraudulent documents and ultimately make airport security more efficient.