Bringing back an old topic, but with a new twist:

Whenever I check in for a flight, I hand my ticket or receipt to the agent and say cheerfully these exact words: "Hi. I'm checking in for flight xxx. I packed my own bags. They have remained under my control. I have not accepted anything from any strangers. Here's my picture ID." Then I show my ID (passport or driver's license, as appropriate).

At least 99 percent of the time, the agent smiles back at me, says something pleasant like, "Oh, you've done this before, I see," and hands me my boarding pass. Once in a great while, the agent -- particularly Delta agents at DCA -- insists that the airline has to ASK the security questions. They insist, throwing aside all logic, that my answers already given to those questions have no value because the information was volunteered! Sometimes they claim that this is an FAA requirements, but when I called the FAA to inquire, I was told that volunteered information is perfectly acceptable.

Any thoughts about this? Is it just another example of Delta's anal-retentive behavior? We all know that the "security" questions provide little or no security, but why complain when the information is given freely?

Bruce