Originally Posted by
Seat13c
First off, that's not what the security personnel told me. Its posted that it is required to get through security. Secondly, whether it was TSA or a contractor, they were all in TSA uniforms. Also, are you saying that security is a non-issue if a contractor is doing it?
Lastly, I don't think you ment it this way, but are you saying that the name on the boarding pass is a mute point? Can I fly on just anyone's boarding pass? I know people fly under an alias all the time for privacy/security reasons all the time but the ID and the BP atleast have to match to let the people into "secured areas."
You do not need to show ID to fly domestically; however, if you choose not to show ID, you are subject to additional search.
Secondly, boarding passes are not a security mechanism. I can print out a boarding pass with any name I want, simply by modifying the text in the HTML of the OLCI boarding pass.
There was even a site created by a computer security grad student that would let you print out fake NW boarding passes. He did it to raise awareness of how useless BP checking is for a security measure. It's just another scene in airport security theater.