Originally Posted by Cookie Jarvis
It seems like forever that airlines have asked for ID before providing a boarding pass. Not that it bothers me to provide it, but why do they need it?
Revenue protection. If they didn't require ID, anybody could fly on anybody else's ticket, and that would kill the airlines' entire pricing model.
For example, you or I could buy a bunch of $200 transcons and sell them for $300 to last-minute business travelers who needed a seat.