how do kids show id when flying domestic?

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might be a silly question, but does a 5 year old have an id? do they have to show one when flying domestic?
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Children don't have to show ID. They are usually asked their name or sometimes our kids were called out by name and then asked to confirm their name. Problems start to arise when boys get to be about 14. With our oldest we had to start bringing his passport to Denver because there is a tiny little lady who works the elite security lane and she stated she would not let him through next time he comes her way. You want to argue, he can't help that he looks old and he doesn't have any real id except passport, which I would rather not carry on domestic trips but hey, she was TSA so we carried it until he got his drivers permit - no photo but it sufficed. Never had an ounce of trouble anywhere else, especially when they were as young as yours.
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ID is number one!
I ALWAYS carry id for my kids whether flying domestic, or overseas. Yes, even when they were infants. I have been asked to show their id once on a domestic flight, and was happy I had passports with me. I have done a lot of traveling in the past 25 years, and have witnessed security on the Canadian border threatening a US family that their kids would be detained (these kids were only around 6 or 7 year olds) because they did not have any id and the parents could not prove the kids belonged to them, even though there was a striking resembleance!!! I lived over seas for a while as a youngster, and I protected my Passport with all my might as I would not be able to return to the US without it!!!

Now I have kids, and each one has a passport, and I keep a copy of their passport in a separate location in the event that it is lost or stollen. I don't screw around with safety when it comes to my family. Chances are, we won't ever have any problems, but in the unfortunate event that we did, like that family I witnessed on the Canadian boarder, we wouldn't have to suffer from such a stressful situation of being separated from our babies! Passports are only $65 each, with tax just under $100 each, and last 5 years for infants/kids. It might seem a bit pricy, but for my 3 kids, that's a 5 year $300 insurance policy in their safety of not being taken away from me, and it's worth every penny!
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Within the US there is no ID requirement for kids. On occasion I've been asked by the TSA to show ID for them. I tell the TSA, "They are minors. They do not need to show ID." This generally pisses the TSA off (particularly when we're headed to an international destination and I have their passports in hand) but has never failed. As you might guess, I also have problems when the TSA tries to play its "What's your name" game with the kids.

Regarding travel to/from another country without passports (or at least some proof of identity/citizenship) for your kids -- you've got to be crazy to do that.
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I checked at one point and found the same thing as xyzzy and sprite, but my kids have always traveled with passports. Mine travel with others as well as with us. (My 15 yo daughter is returning from Utah tonight after skiing with a friend and her family.) But, as sprite pointed out, when the kids start getting big, they really need a passport. My 18 yo son was 6'3" 230 lbs at 17 (now he's bigger) and my daughter is 5'8" 110 lbs and looks far too fetching for her dad's comfort -- people ask where she goes to college -- so I am sure that they'd run into trouble without passports.
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Quote: Within the US there is no ID requirement for kids. On occasion I've been asked by the TSA to show ID for them. I tell the TSA, "They are minors. They do not need to show ID."
Then you wave your hand and the stormtroopers, er, TSA guys, repeat back, "These aren't the droids we're looking for. Move along."

Seriously, though, getting passports for kids to travel domestically seems silly. But going to Canada (or any other international destination), you should definitely get a passport. It is already required if you're returning to the US from Canada by air and will be required soon for returns by land and sea as well.
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Quote: Then you wave your hand and the stormtroopers, er, TSA guys, repeat back, "These aren't the droids we're looking for. Move along."
That's just what I did -- with that particular line in mind only the TSA guy didn't repeat anything back at me... He just seemed confused. The most amusing part of the whole thing incident was that while there were four of us traveling and we had four boarding passes, the airline managed to mess up our boarding passes and issue two for my wife, one for me, and one for child #1. Child #2 had no boarding pass. We only figured that out once we were behind security and were attempting to access the lounge.
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Quote: That's just what I did -- with that particular line in mind only the TSA guy didn't repeat anything back at me... He just seemed confused. The most amusing part of the whole thing incident was that while there were four of us traveling and we had four boarding passes, the airline managed to mess up our boarding passes and issue two for my wife, one for me, and one for child #1. Child #2 had no boarding pass. We only figured that out once we were behind security and were attempting to access the lounge.
Is anyone surprised that the lounge dragons have superior powers of perception than le Thtre de Scurit de l'Amrique?
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