Originally Posted by
studentff
For a domestic USA flight, there is no requirement whatsoever for a minor such as an 8 year old (who looks like a minor) to have ID. Why are the parents booking the flight in the kid's real name
By all means they should fight the stupidity, complain to their representatives, hire a laywer, etc., but in terms of actual travel they could stay hassle-free until the kid is 16-17ish and "looks like an adult" enough for the smurfs to demand ID.
Well, I have seen the TSA do all kinds of things. Like check visa status instead of just validating someones identity, check/ask questions about other visa in a passport ("what did you do in XX?") etc.
I wouldn't bank on the "no ID" think in the sense that if it would come out, I guess the parents would be in real trouble and the poor kid not just on the selectee list but potentially worse...