Originally Posted by
pacer142
Would that really work in the US?
In Europe, when you board a plane using an online checkin boarding pass, ID is checked at the gate. The boarding pass is then either scanned (which will bring up a name), or the seat number is keyed into the PC at the gate (which will bring up a name) or is checked against a printed list (containing a name). If you edited the boarding pass, you would be caught in all three of those instances.
It's scary but true in the US. Watch the gate agents. They are looking at a count and if the computer beeps at them to alert them to a problem.
If the computer has everyone on the plane it thinks should be on the plane you are ok. You never see them reconcile the boarding passes with the names on the plane and they don’t check id at the gate.
Originally Posted by
pacer142
ID is not checked at the security checkpoint because that would be pointless. However it is also checked at check-in if you are obtaining a "normal" boarding pass, either by a human or the kiosk. You therefore wouldn't be able to obtain a traditional boarding card in the wrong name particularly easily (or at all) unless you held a convincing fake passport or (for UK domestics) driving licence.
This would close that loophole and would be an example of real security rather then security kabuki theater.