Last week while I was at MCO, I left my gov't issued photo ID (Driver's License) at the rental car counter. Upon arrival at security, I realized what I had done but it was too late to go back to the rental car counter. Fortunately for me I had my passport with me so there were no issues. When I got home I called the rental car counter and they told me my DL was already in the mail.

Here is the big question....

What are the options for someone who is away on travel and loses their gov't issued photo ID?

1) SSSS AND
2) Loss of laugh fest that you get watching the loupe and black light division of the pageant staring intently at a wallet size card of unknown origin, comparing it to a home/office generated piece of paper of even less known origin, and officiously declaring it "good to go".

I haven't seen a loupe yet. Do they look like Commandant Klink's monocle?

No, nowhere near that dignified.

No worries. ID is not required to travel domestically. (There are dozens of threads in this forum discussing it.) You simply present your BP to the ID checker and declare that you have no ID on you. You will be sent to secondary screener aka The Penalty Box for an additional pat-down and explosives wipe of your palms, shoes and carry-on, maybe/maybe not a handcheck of your belongings. No sweat.

Do they grope you? What exactly happens during a SSSS? I don't think I have ever gotten one (except that one time at Dulles but everyone was getting a patdown so it seemed to be tighter security - way back in 2005). *knock on wood* Oops, I've just jinixed myself!

I got one in Las Vegas several years ago. Flying from Tucson on America West, then to Seattle on Alaska. America West couldn't give me a boarding pass for Alaska and you can't get from America West's gates to Alaska's gates without leaving the secured area. Alaska's ticket counter was closed when I got there and by the time they got someone there to help my flight was gone. So they moved me to America West for their last flight of the night to Seattle. And America West showed how much they valued the extra business by putting SSSS on the boarding pass.

Full pat down, full SLOW search of all my carryon items. Everything out of my laptop bag. And if that TSO had moved any slower it would have been time to call the cororner to see if he was still alive. I think he was trying to make me miss my flight. Worthless pile of organic material.

I have flown without ID, but I always got the airline to mark "SSSS" first. Of course, with some airlines [e.g. Continental] this is more difficult than others.
Now that the TSA is doing the checks, does the airline still need to mark you as a selectee before proceeding to the security line? Has anyone tried?

Yes, but you have to pay extra.

I showed up at the airport without my ID today. Got puffed, then the TSA agent swabbed various things to search for explosives. It got me to thinking...if I'd been smart, I would have just handed my luggage to my boyfriend, who had his ID. It would have saved a lot of time as the TSA agent would have a lot less work to do on me.

Just another silly loophole in the silly world of airport security.

Yes, this works great. I've done it a few times. From both directions. Actually, with no bag of any sort, SSSS often gets you through the line faster. Amazing, isn't it?

Amazingly stupid (on the part of TSA) and ridiculous.

Talking to my BF about it last night, we both thought that it would make more sense if all parties on the PRN were required to go through the SSSS screening (not that I'd wish this on anyone, but from a theoretical, security perspective it makes sense). However, I was traveling on a Southwest Companion Pass, which gives me a separate record locator than my BF, so even if that had been the rule, our records weren't obviously linked.

I was "randomly selected" at the gate in 2002 while traveling with my then-five year old daughters. As the giddy TSA employee "selected" me, I handed my daughters my carryon and personal item and said "here's your bags, girls, hold on to them while I'm groped." Made my gate grope a much abbreviated process. Just a wanding and I was done.

Move along folks, no real security here to see.

A few times I got picked, they treated me like absolute dirt. I described disgusting details elsewhere - no need to repeat. Protests and complaints were met with the usual barrage of TSA threats.

It is all a big show that we get to pay for.