Originally Posted by
GUWonder
At WAW, I've seen passport control hassle US citizens with US passports traveling to the US for no other reason than the persons were "brown" or "black" Americans. There too they ask for secondary ID from time to time, but mostly of ethnic minorities.
At AMS last year, the airline security contractors asking questions were pestering a US citizen returning to the US with a US passport to show Danish ID despite Danish ID not being legal for the person to procure. Apparently some people can't put together the fact that sometimes people fly out of airports on tickets that don't originate in their country of citizenship and/or residence.
I don't understand what these airlines or security contractors hope to achieve. Do they think they will catch someone using a passport fraudulently? At best, such a fraudster could always deny that they have alternative ID on them. Only a stupid one would offer up ID that doesn't match.
And in any case, a person travelling with only a passport who is unable to provide alternative ID could claim EU 261 compensation of 600€ for involuntarily denied boarding. And such a person would probably have a legitimate case against the airline of unfair discrimination and rights infringement.
This is yet another case of security theatre in an attempt to protect the airlines from fines for carrying inadmissible passengers, but one that is illegal under EU law as it discriminates against all citizens of a particular EU country.