Practical Travel Safety Issues - Who's flown without an ID?

Im on vacation on the east coast and I lost my wallet at seatac. I know on the tsa website it states photo id is not required. However I know what is stated in their rules and what happens at the terminal usually isn't the same. I am flying out of PWM and connecting in PHL back to Alaska. Getting stuck in PHL with my kids, no id and credit cards is not very high on my to do list so is there any experience out there with flying using only copies of ss card, birth certificates and work badges?

This is the first trip I've flown in awhile where I haven't stuck my passport in my backpack. I'll have to let my girlfriend check my firearms under her name too I figure that would only compound things.

1. Photo ID is not required but TSA must be able to satisfactorily verify your identity. Whatever you do, make sure you OLCI. Air carriers can be a bigger pain than TSA and it will certainly take even more time than noted below, particularly at PWM where US service (presume that's what you are flying if it's to PHL) is all USX and people are genuinely helpful, but don't confront this every day.

2. Rule One is to give yourself plenty of time. At least an hour above and beyond what you would normally allow. PWM in the summer can get busy and while the process isn't complicated, you are stuck waiting for the right Office properly trained to assist.

3. The easiest, simplest and ultimately cheapest solution is that if there's someone back home, heva them Fedex your passport or determine whether there's someone back home who, with a notarized statement from you, can obtain a duplicate DL or other govt-issued ID and Fedex that to you.

4. Barring that, the more paper you have which shows your name & address, the better. This can include library cards, utility bills, magazine covers (showing your address) and the like, as well as work ID's other forms of ID which may not be acceptable alone, but do match up to the documentation. Again, you may need someone to go into your house, pull the stuff and Fedex, fax or PDF it to you (hotels, Fedex Office and the like will allow you to print for a fee).

5. As to the credit card issue, depending on the issuer, they may have one in your hands tomorrow. For example, Amex & Chase can deliver to you overnight.

In the end, the more you have, the better off this will be. Those actually denied entry at a checkpoint are usually without any form of ID and no way to prove they are who they say they are beyond their word.

I flew without an ID once and it wasn't too bad, but they got touchy/fee-lie with me and swabbed everything down. Whatever your personal opinion may be of the TSA, treat them like customs/immigration officials for a foreign country which doesn't have to let you in. Be respectful, lose the attitude, and be good natured. Be just a touch embarrassed and be triply careful about everything you pack/carry that day. If in doubt, mail it home.

If your ticket isn't linked with your girlfriends, go through separately.

I've flown in the last year without an ID. Checked in online, never asked for it. Didn't take my shoes off, even. No nude-o-scope, no swabs. Oh, wait, that was in Indonesia. No nasty TSA there. ;)

I've flown in the last year without an ID. Checked in online, never asked for it. Didn't take my shoes off, even. No nude-o-scope, no swabs. Oh, wait, that was in Indonesia. No nasty TSA there. ;)

Ditto, except it was in the UK.

I lost my ID at JFK T7. I had a bag to drop and the UA agent was ok with accepting my luggage without ID after explaining my story. The TSA officer wanted a police report but my flight was in an hour so that wasnt happening. I did have credit cards and a non-government photo ID on me and after a minute of thought, he decided I was ok to go through.

I was home visiting my parents and they had a copy of my birth certificate which worked like a charm on the way back.

I've flown without ID on every flight counted as "domestic" outside the US.

I've flown in the last year without an ID. Checked in online, never asked for it. Didn't take my shoes off, even. No nude-o-scope, no swabs. Oh, wait, that was in Indonesia. No nasty TSA there. ;)

I flew internationally at least a dozen times this year without any photo ID on me -- international travel directly amongst some Nordic countries and neither airport security nor airline staff cared. I should have cared but I don't mind testing the limits to learn more about the world. When it comes to dealing with TSA, testing them just provides evidence of failures -- in the TSA but also elsewhere with government and the public at large.

Here is an example of how the TSA thinks it works even while it fails:
http://m.gizmodo.com/5867930/how-to-get-past-a-tsa-checkpoint-with-nothing-but-a-business-card

It's a domestic flight for which he has no ID that TSA accepts....please offer whatever helpful suggestions you can.

thanks

squeakr

co Mod TS/S