I judged it simply a failed attempt at humor. I wouldn't recommend he quit his day job to do standup, but then again, I can't really think of anyone around TS&S who I'd recommend do that

As for the general point of facial hair, my brother - who has on and off had a big bushy Karl Marx beard - noticed definite improvements in how he got treated when flying during his relatively brief breaks when clean-shaven or with a close-trimmed beard. OTOH, he LOOKS a lot of the time like he was at some anti-WTO protest (generally not far from the truth.)

The only times I've been mistreated by a TSAgent, it's been pretty clear that it was one who was treating everyone badly.

Overall, I think my record is a bit better than average, but then again other than a short mustache I am pretty much a "profile" of an inoffensive or unthreatening character - short, tubby, bespectacled, white and anglo-enough-looking, middle aged in appearance(*), well enough dressed not to be a hippy or a bum but casually enough so not to evoke any resentment.

(* I've been able to pass for ~5 years older than I actually am back to my mid-teens. Back then it was cool; these days, OTHER than looking inoffensive I can't think of many benefits of looking late-30s-to-40 in my mid 30s.)

If only that worked on Customs...

How about wearing a false beard and moustache?

I have a fairly comic set of junglies from Halloween that ought to be good for a laugh next time I go through SJC.

I hope you didn't take me serious? If you did it indicates to me serious doubt of your limited intelligence, or the complete lack of such. I never claimed to be the funniest person around, I don't even come close. But what I said was soooo far out in left field that for anyone to take it serious sho be require to have written permission before they are allowed to interact with anyone.

Now I you made he comment because you thought my humor was bad, tough. It won't change. And thanks for the thouht, bu I held other employment for 20 years, and retired. And I did quiet well where I was. My humor didn't seem to hurt me at all.

But in all seriousness, having facial hair, or removing it, should not cause problems. Approximately 2 million people fly each day, give or take. Many people look much different than their photos. They go up or down in weight. Hair color is changed, women do this often. Length of hair is changed. People age. Again, many look slightly different than thei ID photo. So what?

Several examples were cited showing where this has caused problems.

I will cite the millions of people who travel each year with various changes to their appearance who have NO problems.

Glad to report that everything went well. US and Chinese officials didn't care whether I sported a mustache (Big and milk white) or grew hair on my otherwise bald head!
1. Most often the security personnel looks for obvious or out of the norm problems and ignore weight loss/gain, facial hairs, glasses etc.
2. Often they are bored and unless you invite trouble, they just are glad that your turn is over. The line of vision shifts to the next person.
3. Chinese actually appear to like mustache!
4. Duty is only skin deep.

The hair color in my passport photo does not match my natural hair color. Nor does the current style.

However the printed hair color is my natural color (and is completely at odds with the color in the photo).

This has never caused me trouble domestically or abroad.

Or do what these guys did here and here before renewing their driver's licenses.

Speaking of which, perhaps "you're" not the one to judge?

Well, I just returned from Doha; the immigration officer compared my face with the picture on my passport remarked that I now have a mustache. My take-they do notice but unless there are other signs of serious discrepancies, just don't make an issue out of it.

My ID is the same (clean shaven). I grew a beard and mustache in november, and kept it till march. I didn't have a single problem. On the other hand, I'm a tall and somewhat built white male, so I'm sure I got un-profiled for a variety of reasons.

This one, anyway.

I have the opposite problem. I happened to have a full beard when I posed for my drivers license photo, and now I'm clean shaven. I get plenty of second glances, but haven't been seriously questioned as to whether I'm really me.