Proactive gate agent in LAS
 

I was flying back to YYZ from LAS last night.

The incoming flight was 30 minutes late so the gate agent started checking passports in the boarding area and marking the boarding pass with a red marker.

When boarding finally started it went much faster than usual as ID's had already been checked.

Arrived in YYZ only five minutes late - great for us who had connections!

Depending on the GA, UA does this sometimes, at least IME, in ORD they do sometimes. Though more in the past than lately, IME. I think its better to do this way. I used to ask at the desk about this prior to boarding, a couple of agents who said they don't do that told me that they don't like to do it as people arriving to the gate late (elites in the lounge, those running from connections, etc.) or not paying attention don't have this done, so it can actually confuse things.

I have to say that my trip through LAS last week was less than stellar. I didn't have much interaction with the GA as I was trying to avoid the TSA gate rape.
Check-in was a complete shamble. I entered the executive line and waited until one of the agents was finished gossiping with her colleague. She noticed I didn't have my ticket and directed me to the kiosk. I stated " for an elite traveling in executive" they still directed me to the kiosk. The kiosk wouldn't print my bag tag so when i approached them with my boarding pass they said i have to tag my bag. i told them that kiosk wouldn't print my tag so they sighed and printed my tag at the desk, but they couldn't be bothered to put a priority tag on my luggage.

Proactive gate agent in LAS
 

Typical surly American service. The entire service industry in America is a complete embarrassment.

I understand that you find this proactive and helpful. To me it sounds like a potentially serious breach of security rules.

The whole point of the ID check (as I get it) is to make sure that the name on the boarding pass matches the name on the ID, and the face on the ID matches the face on the passenger trying to board. By pre-checking, all the gate agent has done is to make sure that the face on the ID matches the face on the person who then disappeared back into the crowd in the terminal.

There must be a reason this almost always done *as you board* and not the way you describe it. Unless LAS now has enclosed pre-boarding rooms akin to LHR terminal 3, there is no way to know that the red-marked BP did not pass into the hands of someone not on the passenger manifest before boarding.

Good point.
What you described seems to take place frequently in FRA too, now that you mention it. I usually take AC 873 and I have witnessed that they pre-check passengers documents and "release" the pax back into the main waiting area around gate.

Yup, I was just in LAX & PHX with my twelve year old son and he noticed the lack of service and I said to him that is why they have so many problems here, but like the drunk who wont admit the problem, the US service industry is the same. I guess I am just use to it and overlook it and simply blame the terrorists for the issue:D

In the USA this is not a security breach because TSA takes charge of the ID to BP verification.

BP to ID verification is done as you board in Canada. THis is because Canadian gov't and the airlines did not want CATSA to be given responsibility to verify documents.

The LAS GA was doing a doc check to ensure that all passengers have documents to enter Canada. This is commonly done by checking the passport, however Nexus card is also acceptable as is Canadian Drivers License together with Canadian Birth Certificate.

Passport check against boarding card well before boarding is pretty standard, happens every time I fly UA out of IAH to YEG.

Passport check is different than ID verification. In my experience, UA does a passport check well in advance (if you've done online check-in and they haven't seen it yet) to make sure that you have a valid passport but then still checks id during the boarding.

At check-in UA wants to see Passport and again no mater what, UA re-checks passports at gate before they do boarding call, at least they do @ IAH for past 2 years or so.

Don't recall ever having ID check while actually boarding, but my main USA airport is IAH, 6-10 times a year, it's become a blur

Not all of it, just segments.

Restaurant service, for example, is MUCH better in America than it is in Europe and other parts of the world. Hotel service is also excellent in much of America, even in non-premier properties.

ID checking is not about flight security. In Canada it's about airline revenue protection. In the US it's TSA scope creep. If I'm travelling with a fake ID and CATSA or the TSA scans my bags and my person and finds no WEI, they've done their job and the flight I board is secure.

Checking my ID serves a purpose, but it does not make the flight any safer.

As a data point, this practice is SOP for LanPeru... only they use the bright yellow marker :D

I have experiences with this with UA, PMCO, and LX. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just highlighter for UA and a stamp for LX. And with my experience none of these flights checked ID on boarding.