Originally Posted by
oneofthosepeopleyouloveto hate
TSA's footsoldiers (like myself) aren't given any explanations for the agency's policies and procedures, but my personal guess is that eventually the airlines will implement barcoded boarding passes which have to be matched up to a valid I.D. This would ensure that people on the no-fly list, or who are designated SSSS, can't dodge the system (or at least not as easily as they could now).
The barcoding will take time, equipment and $$$ to implement, but the I.D. checks could be done immediately with existing staff and inexpensive equipment, so my guess is that they decided to forge ahead with this component, and get the bugs worked out of the system now. Remember we're talking about an agency with tens of thousands of screeners with varying abilities ... it makes more sense to implement new policies gradually when it's possible to do so, rather than asking the workforce to turn on a dime.
I predict eventually we'll also have some sort of "trusted traveler" program whereby people designated low-risk will qualify for some sort of expedited screening. I.D. verification is essential order for a program like this to work.
Remember these are just my opinions/guesses, and I could be totally wrong!
It's a reasonable hypothesis, but I just can't agree.
To
Global Hi Flyer's point, we already have the CLEAR/Registered Traveler program, which takes identification to the biometric level and the TSA still checks to see if the ID matches the BP.
CLEAR aside for now (because it will threadjack this baby), I can't believe that is the intent. It has been seven and a half years since this was begun and there has been no progress toward anything you hypothisized. Even bars and clubs in NYC use things like
these at the door. A simply modified version would be stupidly easy and pretty close to what you allude to. Also, grocery stores use barcode scanners that will automatically prompt the cashier to check for ID if an alcohol or tobacco item is rung up. Something similar would be incredibly simply to implement, require no more training than a retail worker gets in 30 minutes their first day, and are so widespread that costs are quite low, especially in bulk. With the TSA's willingness to throw money at anything and everything like MMW and sniffers, I can't imagine cost, training, legality, or space would be what is keeping them from doing it.
In short, there is no grand plan for evolving the ID checking downstream in my opinion. It has been nearly eight years. Nothing has changed. It adds nothing to security and serves no purpose. Just my $0.02.
peace,
~Ben~