Maine asks for a break on Real IDs that most residents don’t have

By Ethan Andrews, Bangor Daily News Staff

Maine officials are asking federal authorities for leniency on the upcoming Real ID requirements after finding that fewer than half of travelers at the state’s largest airport had the updated identification.

Starting May 7 travelers will need a passport or Real ID to fly domestically according to the Real ID Act. That comes after multiple delays to the rollout of the federal identification program.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and members of the Maine Legislature announced that they sent a letter to the Transportation Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security formally requesting a phased-in approach.

As of April 1, just over 27 percent of Mainers had a Real ID compliant driver’s license or state ID, Bellows said in a news release. That’s only slightly more than a year ago.

Despite a “sharp uptick” in the number of applications for Real IDs, recent estimates found fewer than half of travelers at the Portland Jetport had a compliant ID, Bellows said. 

Passengers without a Real ID, passport, military ID or other federal credentials would be subject to a secondary screening at the airport, which could be well beyond the TSA’s capacity to do, potentially resulting in missed flights and congestion at the security checkpoints, Bellows said.

Maine officials are calling on the TSA to issue warnings to Mainers rather than barring them from flying.