highlander100

Given the heightened level of security I would expect currently. I was very surprised that both my wife and I boarded BA1497 GLA-LHR just now and never once showed ID.

Am I mistaken in believing it's a requirement?

corporate-wage-slave

Not a requirement, any more than it is for getting on a train. I am surprised you haven't seen this before! Been like this since - well, apart from one brief period after 9/11 - at least 4 decades.

BA do ask for ID if checking in at the counter (typically for checked luggage), but HBO needs no passport or other ID and I don't travel with one in that situation. If asked for ID, your BAEC card will normally suffice, though the police - in certain circumstances - are able to ask for ID too and probably won't be so keen on the old shiny one. Other airlines do ask for photo id, but that is for revenue protection.

See also:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...-domestic.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...c-flights.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...al-flight.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ic-flight.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...-photo-id.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...-domestic.html

jerry a. laska

See also the discussion here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ation+domestic

highlander100

Ah well every day is a school day.

Never knew that.

CKBA

On Tuesday flying out to Toulouse, after the BP check at the gate there were 4-5 border-agents stopping each of us, checking the passports and asking us a range of quite detailed questions.

Calchas

Deleted —cws already covered it.

International flights are a different matter. There are wide powers here to check you on an international departure.

1HourPhoto

One thing I do notice when taking a domestic flight is the amount of people that have their passport and boarding pass out when they reach the gate agent.

FrancisA

At LGW two weeks ago, I produced a BAEC gold card at F check in and was asked for photo ID for a JER flight.

I queried this and was told it was standard for JER flights (which having taken many many before I know to be untrue).

I asked to speak to the check in superviser as this request was clearly wrong. The signage on entry to the check in area states only ID is required and BA's own website elaborates that photo ID is not essential and lists BAEC cards as an acceptable form of ID.

The superviser also claimed that photo ID is both a BA and legal requirement for domestic travel and travel within the CTA. At that point I gave up discussing it further and emailed BA to point out that even their own supervisers do not know their own rules and this seemed a training issue.

I happened to have photo ID on me as I was thinking of going to France from JER; on other occasions I would not have had any photo ID.

The position with GLA flights is correct and is not something that can be quickly changed on a temporary basis. What indeed would be the point when all other domestic travel requires no ID and with cash purchases of tickets, there is no paper trail at all to the traveller?

I just hope BA continue to apply their own rules properly and others are not asked unnecessarily and potentially inconveniently for photo ID.

lorcancoyle

Supervisor doesn't seem to be particularly clued up, but are you sure that no need for photo ID for Jersey - just because they normally don't check doesn't mean it's not a requirement (https://www.gov.je/Travel/Informatio...aPassport.aspx)

Certainly for UK-Ireland CTA you can be asked at UK end (albeit very rarely) - have had UKBF set up a document check for arrivals at LCY, and have had passport checks at T1 at the end of the Green Mile in the past.

SmilerJER

There is no immigration control for passengers arriving in JER from the UK so you do not need to travel with a passport. Having photo ID however to identify yourself should you be stopped by customs is a good idea, but not a pre requisite for travel

FrancisA

I am not sure what would happen if Jersey immigration wanted to confirm your ID and you had nothing photographic. I suspect it would be no different than if the domestic photo machine breaks and you have no photo ID - a lot of tutting from Border agents but they let you through in the end.

The Jersey website refers to what sort of photo ID ferry companies or airlines will accept, indicating that they have no preference.

Most seem uninterested - I have certainly never been asked for photo ID when travelling on ferries from Jersey to Guernsey/UK.

My point, however, is BA do not require photo ID on these flights or domestic flights, despite the insistence of both check in staff and superviser at LGW that BA "always require photo ID for all flights including domestics".

lorcancoyle

Luckily I had my passport with me when they wanted to see it a few years back (Irish passport on BA LGW flight)

lorcancoyle

Gatwick does seem a bit "fuzzy" when it comes to ID given my recent Border Force experience with an Irish passport card. It's outside the M25, different world

FlyingScientist

Always having passport and boarding pass together makes life more simple than having to think about which document to present.

Calchas

For this reason I also hand over a credit card, a bank statement and my railcard.