Practical Travel Safety Issues - Need quick help. Friend just lost her photo ID. Can she fly tomorrow?

A friend just lost her driver's license this evening. It's the only photo ID she has on her and she's supposed to fly OAK-LAX tomorrow. I searched and found a couple of threads from a few years ago indicating this will not be a problem. But still I'd welcome any updated info on this, including what she should expect at the airport.

If in fact she does need a photo ID, she might be able to have someone scan and email a copy of her passport page. Would this be sufficient?

Thanks for any help!

If she has her passport, then there's no problem. Use that as a form of id.

Nope, she cannot fly. No exceptions

Is that true? I thought the established workaround was to be sent off to secondary screening and still be able to fly. Has that changed?

She'll be fine. Just allow for extra time at the airport.

We understand passengers occasionally arrive at the airport without an ID, due to lost items or inadvertently leaving them at home. Not having an ID, does not necessarily mean a passenger won’t be allowed to fly. If passengers are willing to provide additional information, we have other means of substantiating someone’s identity, like using publicly available databases.

Passengers who are cleared through this process may be subject to additional screening. Passengers whose identity cannot be verified by TSA may not be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint or onto an airplane.

is from this web page. (http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/acceptable_documents.shtm)

In other words, yes, but they will need information that can be used to prove identity. They will need to have a web presence that can be looked up. Anything even resembling a photo ID, CostCO card, old high school ID, college ID, work ID's, especially anything with a photo can be used. The copy of the passport will not hurt. Once the TSA is satisfied that the substitute ID requirement is met, they may give the carry on a thorough screening, more than an xray. Your friend will likely get a thorough pat down as well.

In this case, tell the truth and plead for sympathy. This sort of problem happens all of the time and it is rare that it can not be worked around. Allow about an extra hour for the process.

Nope, she cannot fly. No exceptions

This answer is 100% wrong. Please edit your post to delete this information so that you don't confuse people who look here in the future.

P.S. - I also sent a private message to this poster asking for deletion of the incorrect answer.

Yes she can. Get to the airport a bit earlier than usual. TSA will ask her various questions to identify her. My friend lost his 2 weeks ago in NYC, no problem getting home.

Thanks very much for the useful replies, folks. As it turns out, someone who found her license called a little while ago to let her know, and she's on the way to retrieve it now. But this is all good to know, particularly for anyone who has a similar problem down the line...including me, since I travel a lot and since my wonderful wife has twice misplaced (but subsequently found) her ID at airports. ;):D

While not as good as the real document it serves as a good reminder to scan or take a photo of your ID's and put them someplace online where you can access them should you need them. You can't use a scanned license or passport to get through security but having it may make the no ID process a bit easier in helping them identify you.

is from this web page. (http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/acceptable_documents.shtm)

In other words, yes, but they will need information that can be used to prove identity. They will need to have a web presence that can be looked up. Anything even resembling a photo ID, CostCO card, old high school ID, college ID, work ID's, especially anything with a photo can be used. The copy of the passport will not hurt. Once the TSA is satisfied that the substitute ID requirement is met, they may give the carry on a thorough screening, more than an xray. Your friend will likely get a thorough pat down as well.

In this case, tell the truth and plead for sympathy. This sort of problem happens all of the time and it is rare that it can not be worked around. Allow about an extra hour for the process.

While not as good as the real document it serves as a good reminder to scan or take a photo of your ID's and put them someplace online where you can access them should you need them. You can't use a scanned license or passport to get through security but having it may make the no ID process a bit easier in helping them identify you.

Very good advice, folks. Thanks!

I genuinely lost my DL and all I could find was a college ID hat expired in the 90's. It was good enough to get me through several checkpoints with very little questioning.

This answer is 100% wrong. Please edit your post to delete this information so that you don't confuse people who look here in the future.

We appreciate the concern raised here and via mod alerts over the past few days. FWIW, I don't think anyone will be lead astray on the ID rule given the considerable explication here and in previous threads on the topic. Deleting erroneous info is probably counterproductive to the flow of discussion at this point.

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essxjay
TS/S moderator

While not as good as the real document it serves as a good reminder to scan or take a photo of your ID's and put them someplace online where you can access them should you need them. You can't use a scanned license or passport to get through security but having it may make the no ID process a bit easier in helping them identify you.

Great suggestion, cordelli.

Since my first trip aboard in '83 I've kept a photocopy of my passport in each piece of carry-on and checked luggage I own so that I'm never without some kind of verification of identity. Redundancy can be a virtue. :)

almost same situation for me as well (last week). i lost my id vegas, flight was out of lax on united.

@lax, i printed the boarding pass from a kiosk (didn't interact with anyone at ticketing), went to TSA line and told the first TSA person that i didn't have id; he called over someone else and she asked me about other forms of potential id: credit cards, anything with a picture (costco amex). and i had plenty of other cards but she only really looked at my chase sapphire and costco amex.

i had no additional screening or anything out of the usual; just walk through the metal detector and get my stuff.

my guess is if you go to ticketing and get your tickets from them (or if you're checking anything) they might make a certain mark on your boarding pass, but i'm not sure. ultimately it's up to TSA to let you in or not, not the airline (if you have a boarding pass already).