AGSF

Just went through the checkpoint at international A at SFO. I am flying on an international flight and was asked for my passport when I presented my California DL. I refused and asked why. He stated that it was because I was flying abroad. I continued to refuse telling him that I had presented valid ID. He said he would have to call his superior over. I said fine.

10 minutes go by, and I'm itching to get to he lounge for a cold beer and the baseball game (beat LA!). But I refuse to give in by handing over my passport. I wait and ask him to call his supervisor every 2 minutes. Finally she comes and takes my DL and BP to the someone in the backroom who gives the go-ahead for me to proceed through the checkpoint.

Security theatre at its finest. I really don't know what else to say.

chang9121990

I'm not sure if this is the case in the States or not (things often work differently there),
but I believe check-in agents are supposed to verify that the passenger has appropriate documents to enter his/her destination.
If the agent fails to check documents properly and you are refused entry at your destination, the airline gets a hefty fine.

bnarayan1511

You're right about the check-in agent. I think the OP is referring to the ID checker before the WTMD and security theater - all they need to do is to establish identity... (for some bizarre reason cloaked in a veil of "security")

PhlyingRPh

They do this ORD T5 sometimes as well, even to kids. It's really rather silly. If you challenge them, they turn nasty, offering one the opportunity to insult their choice of occupation and IQ level.

chang9121990

Ahhh I see

Goldiemom

Not sure what the big deal about not wanting to show your passport. If I'm flying internationally, I usually have it out because I have shown it to the check-in agent. I never show my DL anymore. In SMF if you show a passport, they use a loop magnifying glass to check if it is legit.

PhoenixRev

Congratulations to the OP for standing firm.

It is a ridiculous practice that is security theater because most people who are not in a city that had non-stop flights to an international destination make a connection and have separate boarding passes. I don't show all of my boarding passes to the TDC at PHX, just the one I am using to get to LAX or JFK or IAD.

Another round of TSOs feeling self-important.

jkhuggins

The deal is ... TSA employees exceeding their instructions.

The TDC is supposed to verify your boarding pass against your supplied ID. As long as the ID you choose to show is one from their approved list, it shouldn't make a bit of difference which ID you choose to show to the TDC.

If passengers are expected to follow TSA rules, TSA employees should do the same.

bocastephen

The TSA has no right to ask for your passport - ever. They are not immigration, and they have no jurisdiction to determine your legal right to travel abroad.

I applaud the OP for standing up to them - well done!

SNA_Flyer

Complain to the TSA Stakeholder manager. I forgot his name, but he is actually a pretty decent guy who dealt with a complaint I had.

Remember that SFO is run by a bunch of pukes called Covenant Aviation Security, not the TSA. These jackholes are famous for making up their own rules.

Don't even bother talking to their customer support team, the woman that I talked to was worthless. Talk to the actual TSA employee responsible if you feel like complaining there.

fester

I would think most of you would prefer to show your passport since it doesn't have your address on it.

PhoenixRev

I prefer to show my Passport Card or NEXUS card, both of which don't have my address and neither of which are useful when traveling to the U.S. by air from overseas.

STBCypriot

what jkhuggins said....

And my passport is the larger one and has extra pages added. I keep it in a leather passport jacket. Inevitably, I have to remove it form the leather jacket, which is contributing to the corners getting dogeared. Additionally, the nosey ID checkers feel that it is perfectly appropriate to flip through and look at EVERY single page of my passport (not just the page with my picture on it) and frankly doing that is NOT part of their job (and I actually wonder if they even know what they are looking at). How would you like to be standing in line behind me while the ID checker examines 78 pages of my passport??? That's why I use my DL. And I am sure that the people in line behind me appreciate that.

BlatheringPenguin

Exactly.

I have the extra pages in my passport, and a couple "unusual" visas that are big and noticeable and always draw attention and questions. (Not usually suspicious or inquisition-type questioning, but curiosity.) I don't have any interest in having a multi-minute conversation with any TSA agent, especially the ID checker and holding up a line of people behind me. Hence why I always use my DL (with a dropbox mailing address on it).

And, one of those visas is on particularly flimsy paper and I've no interest in risking having it damaged and creating a hassle for me at some entry point in the future.

Silver Fox

Interesting and I really hadn't thought about it much so have always just let them see it. So, when I fly out of SFO international, could I show them my UK driving licence as ID ? It has a photo id on it.