Originally Posted by
ArizonaGuy
This is a tangent but there's plenty of that, so here's my thought. I'd rather not identify myself at all just to utilize a company's services either. At the same time, this scenario has occurred to my mind. Let's assume airline tickets aren't tied to names. Person A buys a ticket and gives to Person B. Person B now has a valid ticket paid for by someone else. But what if Person B has previously been banned by the airline for whatever reason? The airline has a business right to refuse service to anyone.
This has explained before, but the same process can apply whether someone is on the gov't No Fly List or your (hypothetical) airline's "banned list."
Person A (no restriction on flying) buys a ticket in his own name. He gives the details to Person B (who is not "allowed" to fly). Mr B checks in online and prints a boarding pass that says "Mr A." He then photoshops the boarding pass to say "Mr B" and prints a second copy.
Mr B goes to the airport and shows the TDC smurf his ID document which says "Mr B" along with the boarding pass that says "Mr B." Surprise, surprise - they match and TDC smurf lets him through. He folds up the "Mr B" boarding pass and puts it in his bag. At the gate, he reaches into the same bag and pulls out the "Mr A" boarding pass, which he uses to board the plane.
There are four things that need to line up - (1) the person's face, (2) the photo on the ID card, (3) the name on the boarding pass and (4) the (absence of a) name on the NFL. The purchase of a ticket checks (3) and (4) but not (1) and (2). TDC smurf checks (1), (2) and (3) but not (4). One more reason the whole ID thing is theater, and bad theater at that.