That was expressed Friday by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll at the Williamsport Regional Airport security check point, where he spoke about the need for anyone who is going to catch a domestic flight in Pennsylvania to get a REAL ID ahead of federal enforcement starting Wednesday.

Joining Carroll for the news conference were Eric B. McKitish, CEO, Williamsport Regional Airport, who gave introductory remarks, and Nina Waskevich, vice president for brands and marketing, AAA North Penn.

“We are here today because the REAL ID deadline is May 7,” Carroll said. “Pennsylvanians who want to fly who do not have a passport need to have a REAL ID,” he said.

Mike Carroll, Secretary, PennDOT explains that on May 7th there will be federal enforcement of REAL ID at airports nationwide during a press conference at Williamsport Regional Airport. The press conference was held Friday to urge the public to get the REAL ID so it’s easier for them to fly. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“We have a wonderful one (driver’s license center for REAL ID) here in Williamsport,” Carroll told the Sun-Gazette. “People are there ready to help out. Check the PennDOT website for the documents you need.”

Asked if there was a cost, Carroll said it is $30 and then PennDOT renewed the license, so the driver has no time lost on the drivers license, he said.

“We will add four years, so if you have a license that is good for three more years you will walk out with a license that is good for seven years,” Carroll said.

“If you go the PennDOT driver’s license center in Williamsport, you walk out with a REAL ID (when applying). “If you go to any of the other driver license centers in north central Pennsylvania the REAL ID will be mailed to you and it takes about two weeks.”

REAL ID is a federal government requirement that was imposed on all 50 states, Carroll explained.

Mike Carroll, Secretary, PennDOT explains that on May 7th there will be federal enforcement of REAL ID at airports nationwide during a press conference at Williamsport Regional Airport. The press conference was held Friday to urge the public to get the REAL ID so it’s easier for them to fly. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“In less than five days Pennsylvanians will need either a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card or another form of federally accepted identification such as a passport, to board domestic flights, enter certain federal facilities that require a federally-acceptible ID, or enter military bases, he said.

Currently, of the estimated 10 million people with driver’s licenses in Pennsylvania, 3 million have REAL ID, Carroll told the Sun-Gazette.

For those with REAL ID the driver’s license will have the gold star in the upper right corner, he said.

It is “human nature,” he said, for some people to wait until the last minute. During this period most people have at a minimum renewed their driver’s license at least once, he noted.

Carroll also warned those using the Williamsport Regional Airport that as of Wednesday they should bring their passport with them when flying to Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C., the direct service route for the airport, if they do not have REAL ID, or they can anticipate a longer boarding process or not being able to board as they go through the Transportation Security Administration screening. Carroll declined to speak on behalf of the TSA. Passengers who do not yet have their REAL ID or another TSA acceptable form of ID can expect to face delays, additional screening, and the possibility of not being allowed into the security checkpoint, the TSA website said.

Fifty seven driver’s license centers across the state will be open, including on Monday, to help process these REAL IDs, Carroll said.

AAA takes this implementation by the May 7 federal deadline seriously, Waskevich said.

The agency does not want to see any traveler be delayed or unable to fly. It is vital to get REAL ID, if one does not have a passport, because there may be a need to fly for an out-of-state family emergency, for business, or for a vacation – as examples.

Just before the conference, Carroll said he and the PennDOT team were at airports in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Allentown, Harrisburg, Erie and the final destination was Williamsport. In all, the trips took about a month.

He also explained how REAL ID began and the process to where May 7 arrived.

The United States Congress passed the law in 2005. Then, in 2012 in Pennsylvania, the state Legislature passed a law forbidding PennDOT to participate in the federal law, he said.

“The prohibition of the federal law was repealed in 2017,” Carroll said. In March 2019, REAL ID was being issued but as optional in Pennsylvania and in many other states but not all.

In Maryland, for instance, it was made mandatory, which explains the state’s nearly 100 percent of the public already having REAL ID before May 7.

“If you are planning to go on a flight on Wednesday the time is now to get your documents in order,” Carroll said upon leaving the conference.