MSPeconomist

BTW, when you take an international flight out of the USA, an airline representative will look at your passport and check for visas and other necessary travel documents, but you do NOT ever (except in extraordinary circumstance, such as when CBP is checking hand luggage in the jetway for unreported currency in excess of $10,000) see a CBP official. Airport security is done (with the exception of SFO and a couple other airports that use a private firm) by TSA. They check your boarding pass against photo ID (unless you have CLEAR), but you are NOT required to show a passport, even for international departures (although some TSA employees might try to tell you that use of a passport is required, while others insist on a driver's license, but any valid government issued photo ID is acceptable, including NEXIS/GE, and TSA has a list of these).