DemonDeacon

I'm a fairly long-time lurker but I ran across something the other day that finally compelled me to post.

I was flying ATL-SLC on DL and as they were preparing to board, they announced that the TSA would be checking the IDs of everyone getting on the flight so please have your ID out. Sure enough, 3 smurfs started clearing everyone out from the area near the desk so that they would have room for their check.

Everyone that got on the plane, or at least the people in line in front of me as I boarded Zone 1, had to show their ID to a TSA agent, although as I recall they didn't do much of an inspection of it.

I had a couple of questions:

1. Why is this necessary if you have already shown your ID to enter the security checkpoint?

2. Does the TSA have authority to check your ID outside of the screening checkpoint, once you have been admitted to the secure area? What would happen if you refused to show ID?

FlyingUnderTheRadar

1. In case you got a sex change while waiting for yer flight.

2. Good question. it is my understanding that once in the secure area you are NOT required to identify yourself again. However, once in the secure area you and your personal belongings are subject to search at any time.

FriendlySkies

Welcome to FlyerTalk! It's part of the security theater. They don't believe in the job they do at the checkpoint, so the smurfs have to appear at our gates, and play police man.

PHLflying

Its necessary to keep the TSA employed. Seriously, they would say its a "layer" to ensure the person boarding the aircraft is the person that they said they were on the ticket.

On a similar note, this would prohibit the following tactic on a non-refundable fare you wanted to give to someone - giving that person your ticket you're not using, have them clear security with a fully refundable ticket, and then using your non-ref one to actually get on the plane.

I would love to, in this situation say "Oh, I threw out my ID after security. I've cleared your screening and I also decided I'm not going to drive anymore... There's no me driving involved with boarding this plane, is there?"

Ari

I am not confident that the law supports that conclusion; the law seems to say that you have to do whatever the TSA says if you want to fly.

GUWonder

At some airports, it is well possible to have the ID mailed/couriered from an "airside" location to a regular "landside" address in the time between passing a TSA checkpoint on a given itinerary and boarding a flight where this dog and pony ID show occurs. What's the TSA going to do, fish into sealed first class mail, perhaps even at an other airport?

Justruss

The TSA is in exact agreement with this statement.

Mych

Were they checking the boarding pass too ?
If not, it would seem that they were looking for someone in particular.

I've had this happen to me once. Just an ID check. Not a look at the boarding pass. A few minutes earlier, a TSO had approached me and asked if I had left my phone at the x-ray machine.

M.

sbagdon

1. I believe the logic is that someone could have entered the secure area for one flight, and might be boarding another. Not sure what threat this is mitigating, probably more of a strategic goal to get the message out that they can come to you any time they want.

I'd like to see someone way something to the effect "I believe your after-CP search is indicative of your failure to secure this area, I now do not feel secure, and will exit the building immediately.".

Which brings up...

2. All individuals attempting to enter or reside in the sterile area are subject to an administrative search, occurring any time, any where, in any way, of the TSA's choosing.

Many threads exist about whether #2 is legal/illegal, moral/immoral, or lean/fattening, or even happening with that simplicity. Whether it's either/or, it's happening, because the power (via administrative search) exists and is defined by DHS.

RichardKenner

Because this defeats a tactic commonly discussed here. If you're on the no-fly-list, check in under a fake name and get a boarding pass under that name. Then, Photoshop the boarding pass so it has your real name. Show that (fake) boarding pass to TDC along with your real ID and then board with the real boarding pass. If there's a check of ID against the boarding pass used to fly, it defeats that.

khurley

Except that you can still fly with the fake boarding pass as it has the same bar code as the real one.

tehiota

The bigger issue, IMHO, is the APD allowing their LEOs to be used like puppets with the TSA pulling their strings. If APD LEOs stood their ground on their jurisdiction (local) and only concern themselves with local ordinances, we wouldn't have a lot off the TSA issues we have now since the TSA is not law enforcement.

So if you refuse to identify yourself in the secure area, they'll just call a LEO over and get them to identify you and get your information from there for their 'investigation'.

goalie

TSO (at the gate): May I see your I/D?
Me: Why, what did you folks miss at the checkpoint?

ahulett

So what happens when I fly into an airport on Alaska to connect to a Delta segment, only have a boarding pass for the AS segment, and use my frequent flyer card to board the DL segment... will the TSA representative be as confused as the gate agents when I do this, or will they patiently wait for me to scan and get my boarding receipt, or should I just put face in palm and say an expletive under my breath?

RichardKenner

Every boarding pass scanner I've seen echos the name on its display.