AsiaTraveler

Hi all-

I've tried searching, but haven't found anything that will address this situation. I will be taking our youth group to Orlando this summer for a church conference, and we are flying. It is my understanding that children under 18 don't need ID, but with older youth flying, I'm concerned that we might be hassled about their age. Does anyone have any experience with this? Obviously, I will tell the ones with driver's licenses to bring them just in case, but not all of them have one....

Plus, is there any chance of being hassled as we are not their parents?

I have tried asking on the TSA website, but they first tell me that this is a matter for the airline; then they just send me all the info on traveling with (small) children, which doesn't address this situation.

jan_az

I suggest authorization notes ( notarized) from the parents , just in case.

Dont most of these kids have high school ID's?

MKEbound

In many states the DMV can issue a state ID for teens, and the cost is quite low. I would suggest you advise your youth group to see if they can get a state ID if they don't have a DL

Superguy

A lot of high schools don't do ID's. The one I graduated from still doesn't to this day. Maybe because it's a smaller school and the administration knew everyone anyway.

duchy

Have you called the airline ?

Superguy

Even if the airline says it's not needed (for their purposes anyway), it doesn't mean they may not get a hard time from the Terrorist Don't Use ID/Revenue Protection Army®.

knighthawks97

Here's a helpful link:

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-...30&media=print

ibor132

The two times I traveled between needing ID and my 18th birthday, I wasn't given any trouble. At MHT, I showed my college ID (graduated HS when I was 17), and was just asked "How old are you?". At IND I didn't bother to show ID. The ID checker just asked my name and age. I wouldn't think you'd encounter any trouble, however given how easy it is in many places to aquire a state ID (or something else - driver's lisence for older ones, driver's permit, etc), it seems like cheap insurance to me.

climbermom

My son and his friend (both 16) recently flew with my husband, EWR-MCO-EWR. Neither boy has a driver's license (you need to be 17 to drive in NJ) and neither had their school ids. My husband showed his id, and nobody even asked the kids for id.

That said, I wouldn't take the chance. Make sure they all have a school id with a photo, just in case. If one weren't allowed to fly, what would you do, leave him or her behind?

Also, a notarized letter from a parent is a good idea. My son travels quite a bit for climbing (domestically and internationally) with his coaches. I always make a copy of his insurance card as well, and give them a letter saying that the coach is able to authorize medical treatment in emergencies. I wouldn't want them to delay treatment until they got a hold of me.

frink

Why wouldn't they be allowed to fly? AFAIK people without ID (because it's been stolen, lost, etc.) fly all the time with the equivalent of a SSSSSecondary SSSSScreening. It's the folks who HAVE ID on them but refuse to show it that get harassed/arrested/mocked by the TSA. []

amejr999

I've flown on school trips a few times with a ton of high school students under 18. I've only been heard of anyone been asked for ID once (when checking bags), and when he said he was under 18, the response was "have a nice flight". That said, having a backup ID in case there's a problem is never a bad idea, and for the chaperone's sake, I would definitely have medical treatment authorization and what not.

flysurfer

That's interesting. I read correctly that teens w/o ID don't automatically get the SSSS and secondary screening because of that little fact, right?

It also means that anyone in the U.S. who can't use a cheap non-refundable domestic ticket, can give (aka sell) it to any young person of the same gender, as neither the airlines nor the TSA will enforce any kind of ID check. All the the kid has to do is mutter the name of the original pax on the ticket. @:-)

And dedicated terrorists, in case they exist, only need to find a suicide bomber who's a minor, and make up a name for him that isn't on the watch lists.

But isn't it great that so much time and money is wasted on ID checks for adults and taking away their dangerous liquids.

amejr999

Exactly right! It makes perfect sense, who would ever be so horrible as to use a minor as a suicide bomber?

flysurfer

Yep. Totally unheard of, such a thing.

An adult brewing up a MBMB (Magic Binary Moisture Bomb) in the lavatory is so much more likely.

frink

AFAIK. I was suggesting the "worst case" would be that they might get SSSSecondary, not that they'd "be left behind" as another poster suggested.