Most airports are operating smoothly on the first day of the REAL ID requirement

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Most airports around the United States operated smoothly as new REAL ID requirements took effect Wednesday because travelers without the updated document were still allowed to move through security easily.

Those without the IDs were given pieces of paper informing them that going forward they would need to present REAL ID or other federally accepted ID for air travel within the U.S. It includes a QR code travelers can use to see a list of acceptable identifications.

“The ID you presented is NOT REAL ID-compliant,” the paper reads. “You will need a REAL ID or other acceptable form of identification for your next flight or you may expect delays.”

Suzy Roberts, a traveler who didn't have a REAL ID, passed through security without a hitch at Oakland airport in Northern California. Officials gave her the TSA handout, advised her to call the DMV to make an appointment, and said she might have to go through extra screening.

“I’m going through — they’re just gonna do extra security and they’ll take my photo,” Roberts explained as she waited for her bag to be screened before her flight to Los Angeles.

The relative calm at airports was bolstered by the fact that 81% of travelers already have REAL IDs, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Nathan Carter was one of them.

“I feel pretty well prepared. I’ve had real ID for a while,” he said as he prepared to return home to Kansas City from Philadelphia.

The new requirement for domestic flights has been the subject of much discussion on social media in recent weeks, with people expressing confusion about whether they can travel without a REAL ID, sharing details about wait times and seeking advice on how to meet the requirements.

Airport security checkpoints also accepted passports and tribal identification as usual.

Many airports reported wait times of a few minutes at security checkpoints on their websites on Wednesday morning. LaGuardia Airport in New York City reported no wait at one TSA PreCheck checkpoint and wait times ranging from 2 to 11 minutes in the general lines. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s website showed wait times at its security checkpoints ranging from 5 to 16 minutes.

Nashville International Airport posted on social media that wait times were less than 20 minutes on Wednesday morning, but urged travels to help keep things running smoothly by brining a REAL ID.

The day ahead of the deadline, people lined up at government offices across the country to secure their compliant IDs. In Chicago, officials established a Real ID Supercenter for walk-in appointments, while officials in California and elsewhere planned to continue offering extended hours for the crush of appointments.

Michael Aceto waited in line at a DMV in King of Prussia, in the Philadelphia suburbs, for about two and a half hours Tuesday before getting his REAL ID.

“It’s a pain in the butt. It’s really a lot of time. Everybody’s got to take off from work to be here,” he said. “It’s a big waste of time as far as I’m concerned.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told a congressional panel on Tuesday that those who still lack an identification that complies with the REAL ID law “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step."

There's already an extra screening process in place for people who lose or forget their IDs while traveling.

It wasn't clear Wednesday how many people without REAL IDs were facing extra screening beyond being handed the TSA flier.

REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that Homeland Security says is a more secure form of identification. It was a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission and signed into law in 2005. It was supposed to be rolled out in 2008 but the implementation had been repeatedly delayed.

¨The whole idea here is to better validate those individuals that were encountering a checkpoint to ensure they are who exactly they say they are,” said Thomas Carter, TSA’s Federal Security Director in New Jersey.

If people without REAL IDs give themselves extra time, he said, they likely shouldn't miss their flights. "I do not have a belief that this will cause people to miss their flights if they take that additional time in.”

Besides serving as a valid form of identification to fly domestically, people will also need a REAL ID to access certain federal buildings and facilities.

State government offices that issue driver's licenses and state IDs have seen a significant increase in demand for REAL ID and some have extended their office hours to meet the demand. Some officials have recommended people delay getting REAL ID compliant licenses and cards if they don't have flights planned in the next few months.

“Wait until after the current rush,” said Erin Johnson, a spokesperson with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Associated Press writers Terry Chea in Oakland, California, and Tassanee Vejpongsa in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

A TSA employee checks IDs as people move through security at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Matthew Nason of Vassalboro, Maine, who needed to file forms for his motorcycle, waits at the end of a long line at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles where many residents are applying for Real ID, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A TSA employee checks IDs as people move through security at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Signage reminds travelers of the new Real ID mandate at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, La., the first day Real ID is implemented for commercial airline travel, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A sign displays information about Real ID at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Tekeda Jones shows a document she was given to travel through Love Field airport in Dallas, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Signage reminds travelers of the new Real ID mandate at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, La., the first day Real ID is implemented for commercial airline travel, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A TSA agent hands off a non-Real ID for a traveler passing through security at Love Field airport in Dallas, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Customer Service representative Marlon Suarez, right, monitors the doorway outside of a Miami-Dade County Office of the Tax Collector Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

People stand in line outside of a Miami-Dade County Office of the Tax Collector Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

An employee, right, checks on necessary documents as people line up to apply for Real ID at a Real ID Supercenter in downtown Chicago, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

People stand in line outside of a Miami-Dade County Office of the Tax Collector Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — With the start of the New Year squarely behind us, it's once again time for the annual CES trade show to shine a spotlight on the latest tech companies plan on offering in 2026.

The multi-day event, organized by the Consumer Technology Association, kicks off this week in Las Vegas, where advances across industries like robotics, healthcare, vehicles, wearables, gaming and more are set to be on display.

Artificial intelligence will be anchored in nearly everything, again, as the tech industry explores offerings consumers will want to buy. AI industry heavyweight Jensen Huang will be taking the stage to showcase Nvidia's latest productivity solutions, and AMD CEO Lisa Su will keynote to “share her vision for delivering future AI solutions.” Expect AI to come up in other keynotes, like from Lenovo's CEO, Yuanqing Yang.

The AI industry is out in full force tackling issues in healthcare, with a particular emphasis on changing individual health habits to treat conditions — such as Beyond Medicine's prescription app focused on a particular jaw disorder — or addressing data shortages in subjects such as breast milk production.

Expect more unveils around domestic robots too. Korean tech giant LG already has announced it will show off a helper bot named “ CLOiD,” which allegedly will handle a range of household tasks. Hyundai also is announcing a major push on robotics and manufacturing advancements. Extended reality, basically a virtual training ground for robots and other physical AI, is also in the buzz around CES.

In 2025, more than 141,000 attendees from over 150 countries, regions, and territories attended the CES. Organizers expect around the same numbers for this year’s show, with more than 3,500 exhibitors across the floor space this week.

The AP spoke with CTA Executive Chair and CEO Gary Shapiro about what to expect for CES 2026. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Well, we have a lot at this year's show.

Obviously, using AI in a way that makes sense for people. We’re seeing a lot in robotics. More robots and humanoid-looking robots than we’ve ever had before.

We also see longevity in health, there’s a lot of focus on that. All sorts of wearable devices for almost every part of the body. Technology is answering healthcare’s gaps very quickly and that’s great for everyone.

Mobility is big with not only self-driving vehicles but also with boats and drones and all sorts of other ways of getting around. That’s very important.

And of course, content creation is always very big.

You are seeing humanoid robots right now. It sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t.

But yes, there are more and more humanoid robots. And when we talk about CES 5, 10, 15, 20 years now, we’re going to see an even larger range of humanoid robots.

Obviously, last year we saw a great interest in them. The number one product of the show was a little robotic dog that seems so life-like and fun, and affectionate for people that need that type of affection.

But of course, the humanoid robots are just one aspect of that industry. There’s a lot of specialization in robot creation, depending on what you want the robot to do. And robots can do many things that humans can’t.

AI is the future of creativity.

Certainly AI itself may be arguably creative, but the human mind is so unique that you definitely get new ideas that way. So I think the future is more of a hybrid approach, where content creators are working with AI to craft variations on a theme or to better monetize what they have to a broader audience.

We’re seeing all sorts of different devices that are implementing AI. But we have a special focus at this show, for the first time, on the disability community. Verizon set this whole stage up where we have all different ways of taking this technology and having it help people with disabilities and older people.

Well, there’s definitely no bubble when it comes to what AI can do. And what AI can do is perform miracles and solve fundamental human problems in food production and clean air and clean water. Obviously in healthcare, it’s gonna be overwhelming.

But this was like the internet itself. There was a lot of talk about a bubble, and there actually was a bubble. The difference is that in late 1990s there were basically were no revenue models. Companies were raising a lot of money with no plans for revenue.

These AI companies have significant revenues today, and companies are investing in it.

What I’m more concerned about, honestly, is not Wall Street and a bubble. Others can be concerned about that. I’m concerned about getting enough energy to process all that AI. And at this show, for the first time, we have a Korean company showing the first ever small-scale nuclear-powered energy creation device. We expect more and more of these people rushing to fill this gap because we need the energy, we need it clean and we need a kind of all-of-the-above solution.

A Coro breastfeeding monitor is pictured at a Coroflo booth during the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Yonbo X1 robots are pictured at the X-Orgin booth during the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

A Tombot robotic puppy is pictured at a Tombot booth during the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

People arrive at the CES Unveiled tech show Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)