Some of you may remember the days when there was absolutely no ID check associated with airline tickets. This allowed a certain flexibility in rescheduling. For example, if one person was unable to attend a business meeting, another person could just take their place and use the first person's ticket.

Fast-forward to today.

Assume a circumstance in which a non-refundable ticket has been purchased for travel. The individual who was supposed to go on the trip is unable to attend. Above and beyond the contractual and moral issues (all of which are, in fact, relevant to me), would the following work?

1. Assume the flight originates from one of the airports where the ID is checked a bunch of times at the security checkpoint, but not at the gate. And assume that no checked baggage is involved.

2. The substitute traveler buys a fully-refundable ticket, in his own name, for later in the day on the same carrier and gets a boarding pass.

3. The substitute traveler proceeds to a quick check machine to get a boarding pass issued to the "original traveler".

4. The substitute traveler proceeds to the security inspection and shows his own ID and his boarding pass for the later flight.

5. The substitute traveler goes to the gate for the original flight (the one with the non-refundable ticket) and boards that flight using the genuine boarding pass issued in the name of the original traveler.

6. Sometime in the future the substitute passenger gets a refund for the fully refundable flight for which he was a no show (a boarding pass, which isn't submitted for the flight, is still a no show).

... and then the original buyer drives out to the destination airport and does the same thing, and then drives back to the home airport.

Other than that return issue, it would probably work most of the time.

It might be easier to get a fake ID in the original traveler's name, not to mention the return trip.

Why is this topic in this forum? Checking ID does zilch for security. Oops, I almost forgot, checking ID makes people feel safer and thus should continue.

I don't get the part about the return. Except that the substitute flyer would need a second real (refundable) ticket for the return, which would be done just like the original segment. As far as the airline knows, based on the boarding pass submitted, the original flyer showed up for the original flight and took it.

Why in the security forum? Because the ID check is allegedly related to security. And because some of the best minds on FT post here.

This would almost work. However, if the original traveler's boarding pass happened to have an SSSS on it, then first of all, you wouldn't be able to obtain that boarding pass from a machine. You'd have to get the original traveler to come to the airport with you to present his ID to the airline ticket counter. Since the original ticket holder has driven all the way in to the airport with you, he might as well stand with you in the security line, get SSSS harassed and let the TSA initial or punch-hole his boarding card.

Now, at that point, you can send the original traveler home and keep his punched or initialed boarding card.

If there were some way to get an SSSS boarding card from a machine or home computer, you'd still have to figure out how to duplicate TSA's mark to make it look like the original traveler had been harassed. Making the TSA's mark varies from ridiculously easy to difficult in different airports.

Actually, it's much easier to just get a fake ID in the traveler's name. The airline's official requirement is only "government-issued ID". There is no way they can check the validity of some fake city library card with your picture on it.

If you're willing to put up with extra secondary screening, you could also claim to be the original traveler and say you've lost all your identification. People get through security all the time without presenting any ID.

It's much less expensive to purchase a fake ID from your friendly neighborhood college or high school entrepeneur. The people who check IDs at checkpoints (not gates) are hired by "security" firms by the airlines and are not TSA.

Alternatively, simply do not show up with ID. You can still board the plane and pass through security, albeit you'll get a more thorough pawing at. (Just hide those credit cards.) Without ID, they can't determine who is who. Just don't try to get on a plane with a woman's name if you are a guy, and visa versa.

People have said this a couple of times, but I don't know if it is still true. There was someone on the AA forum a few months ago who lost their ID and were told that they could not return under any circumstances without ID.

There is also a case pending where some guy was refused boarding for not showing ID (same guy who was tossed off a plane for wearing a button that said 'Suspected Terrorist')

Personally, I'd like to believe that people can get on planes without positive ID, but I don't think they can any more. Any evidence to the contrary?

... just eat the ticket and charge the contract. This is an allowable charge if the government customer directed that you not attend the meeting after they had directed you attend. Before I left the private sector last year, every single employee of mine who left before me (program got cancelled) had an unused non-refundable ticket the government had to eat. Between the 5 of us, the total cost to the taxpayers was easily $4000-$5000.

...just another sacrifice we have to pay for the War on Terror...