I.D. Nightmare (A warning)

Parent Cafe
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<p>Well, usually I plan for what I assume to be The Obvious, but apparently not so this time.</p>

<p>Made plane reservations while D was still 17, announcing, however, to telephone agent that she would be 18 by day of (domestic) flight. Arrived at airport days after her 18th birthday, only to discover IN THE SECURITY LINE that, lacking “adult” category I.D. (Drivers’ License, etc.), she was a major security risk. We literally almost missed our plane by 5 seconds. TSA were Jerks Major in the “special security” line. They looked her over especially slowly, re-examining her carry-on dress (!) over & over, almost ripping apart the seams. Ironically, the Muslim family & the Pakistani businessman they hurried through “special security” routinely, but they apparently considered my D, as well as the Anglo Caucasian pilot in uniform, major security threats.</p>

<p>TSA also refused to call United at the gate to tell them we were stuck in security, & to hold the plane for our boarding. (Major Jerk definition.) This was despite my pleading with them 5 times to do so.</p>

<p>I’ve always flown with my D, under my Drivers’ License I.D. & her high school photo I.D., with no problem. Apparently 18-year-olds had better make sure they have Serious I.D. in order to fly, at least when departing from major U.S. airports. We had deliberately left her passport home because this was a domestic flight: major mistake; will never do that again.</p>

<p>I mention all this because I know there are/will be 18-yr-olds out there who are current h.s. seniors & need to travel, & others who will similarly turn 18 between h.s. & college, prior to college I.D.'s being issued. Bring your passports if you have them, and/or get a photo-I.D. work permit. (Security said that would have been o.k.) Or a non-driver’s photo I.D. if your State offers that. We learned the hard way, but at least she was with a parent at the time.</p>

<p>And shame on the airline for not warning us in advance, but that’s water under the bridge.</p>

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<p>I hope she got on the plane okay???</p>

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<p>does your daughter not have a driver’s license? TSA takes any state issued or federal IDs. If she has a DL then no problem. As most teens do then it shouldn’t be a major concern. I’ve flown probably 200+ times in the last 2 years since I turned 18 and i’ve never had a problem. </p>

<p>“If you have a paper ticket for a domestic flight, passengers age 18 and over must present one form of photo identification issued by a local state or federal government agency (e.g.: passport/drivers license/military ID), or two forms of non-photo identification, one of which must have been issued by a state or federal agency (e.g.: U.S. social security card). For an international flight, you will need to present a valid passport, visa, or any other required documentation. Passengers without proper ID may be denied boarding.”</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.tsa.gov/public/interapp/editorial/editorial_1044.xml[/url]”>http://www.tsa.gov/public/interapp/editorial/editorial_1044.xml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And I don’t believe the TSA people were being jerky…it’s their job to see if people have the proper ID and if you don’t then tough luck…your fault.</p>

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<p>Barely, A.M. (After we literally ran through the airport, practically mowing people over.) I seriously thought they were going to strip-search her. And no one could have a lower profile than my D, btw. (The silent type-- haha, maybe <em>that’s</em> what worried them so much.)</p>

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<p>I agree with Bern700. In Pennsylvania, even junior driver’s (under age 18) licenses have photo and birthday, so anyone over 16 1/2 who has a license would have proper id. However, not all teens get their license as soon as they are eligible, of course. Maybe the OP’s D did not have a license ???</p>

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<p>Learner’s permits are sometimes made out of paper and might not pass muster.</p>

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<p>bern & MotherofTwo:</p>

<p>Paragraph 2, line 3 of my original post above. (No, she does not have a D.L.) Hence, need for passport from this day forward.</p>

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<p>I don’t think you can blame TSA or the airlines for this, in all fairness. It’s very clear that anyone 18 or over MUST have government issued ID.</p>

<p>A few months ago, I left my purse on the plane and didn’t realize until I’d exited security. Wildly over-the-top searching and wanding and so on. It would have been easier to have a security person escort me to the plane, really. But them’s the rules.</p>

<p>As for the pilot: imagine if a terrorist DID get a pilot’s uniform. Wouldn’t you want to make sure they met security requirements then? As for the Muslim family and Pakistani businessman, they clearly met the ID requirements as well as passing through the metal and other detectors. </p>

<p>My guess is that the carryon dress had something metal in it that upset the xray machines and metal detectors. People have hidden explosive in the lining of jackets and so on.</p>

<p>I would suggest getting your D a passport.</p>

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<p>I agree that it would have been wonderful if security had let the airlines know about your D’s delay.</p>

<p>I would rather have a thorough search, even at risk of missing a flight, than to have security so lax that a terrorist slips through.</p>

<p>It also seems to me a good idea for all teens to have some kind of official picture ID. Even if the kid is under 18, why should the airlines take their or their parents’ word for this? Think about it: There are plenty of people who look 15 and who are much, much older. Some may be terrorists.</p>

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<p>You weren’t there, bern. They <em>were</em> being “jerky,” as you say. It was their manner – not the fact that they put her in special security per se.</p>

<p>But as I already indicated in my initial post, the original person at fault was the agent who made the reservation, since I was so explicit about the difference between her age at reservation & her age at travel.</p>

<p>I follow the news carefully. The TSA people assigned to some of the airlines flying out of SFO are amazingly rude. There have been some well-publicized horror stories recently, concerning people, for example, with names similar to watch-list names. Again, it is the manner of the search & inquiry that can become unnecessarily offensive – particularly when there’s is no provocative or suspicious or unusual behavior (or response) on the part of a traveler to set off an aggressive or intrusive reaction by TSA. In this case, what I am objecting to is the manner. No, it is not their “job” to be rude. Nor is it their “job” to act as if they are deliberately trying to make you miss your flight (versus the normal speed with which other, similar searches are occurring in the same line). (They laughed at us twice when we politely requested a call to the agents at the gate.)</p>

<p>We noticed a significant difference between the TSA personnel at SFO and those at other airports. The non-SF personnel were normal, including when my D was (naturally) once again put through special security. And just to reinforce that I’m not so out-of-line, I called TSA on Friday. I was told by an official that their behavior was indeed out-of-line, & that I should expect to receive an apology phone call. (Still waiting.)</p>

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<p>dmd,
Well, I’ll try this again. Paragraph 4: “left her passport home.” (She <em>does</em> have a passport.) And I’ve said twice now that I’ll bring it in the future.</p>

<p>Does anyone actually read before replying?</p>

<p>Hmmm.</p>

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<p>FB: missed the part about leaving the passport home. Nonetheless, I didn’t miss the part where you complain that your D was thoroughly searched because she didn’t have ID. </p>

<p>I notice that this is part of my son’s recent flight confirmation: </p>

<p>“Picture identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, is required
to board the aircraft. For Canada and Mexico, proof of citizenship is
required.”</p>

<p>This was for a domestic flight, BTW.</p>

<p>Perhaps we’re both guilty of careless reading?</p>

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<p>Rather than bringing along a passport on domestic flights, I’d recommend just getting her a non-driver’s ID from your state DMV. </p>

<p>They are pretty inexpensive and, if lost or stolen, they don’t involve much hassle or cost to replace. (Replacing a passport, on the other hand, is much costlier and more time-consuming and more hassle.) And nondrivers IDs fit conveniently in a regular wallet.</p>

<p>Also, I’d recommend making color-photocopies of all your photo IDs and putting the copies in a separate place (like a piece of carryon luggage.) If your wallet is stolen by a pickpocket, you MIGHT find that the backup copy of the IDs will allow you to talk your way onto the plane, bus, train, etc. </p>

<p>(Yes, in some places, you need photo ID even to board an innercity bus or train. Who knows…sadly, after episodes like today, we may not be too far from the time when photo ID will be required to board subways and city transit buses.) </p>

<p>Another bit of warning—just because your child was allowed to board a bus or train without ID on one end of the trip doesn’t mean that s/he will be able to return without ID. The requirements for photo ID are in place only in certain train and bus terminals. So s/he might have no problem boarding at one end, but might have considerable difficulty boarding without ID at the other end. There are certain large cities that have had ID requirements in place at bus and train terminals at various times. Boston’s bus terminal still has signs up about the requirement, but doesn’t seem to enforce it anymore (though I distinctly remember they did enforce it in 2002.) I assume the signs are still up just to put people on notice that they have the right to require ID for boarding anytime they choose to do so.</p>

<p>Anyway, my recommendation is that all kids who might be traveling on their own should get state-issued non-driver’s photo IDs or driver’s licences and they should always take them on trips.</p>

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<p>dmd,
No, I did NOT complain “that my daughter was thoroughly searched” before boarding. I really wish people would read, & not misinterpret, re-interpret, read something into a thread that is not there.</p>

<p>The thrust of this thread, originally, was twofold:
(1) First, & mainly, to warn others ahead who might not have thought of what I called “The Obvious” in my original post. Some of us, despite what may seem obvious, have gotten used to perhaps never being questioned when traveling with an under-age-18 minor. It was intended to be a helpful warning.
(2) To complain, NOT that my daughter was put through “special” security, but the manner in which it was done, without provocation. I only made that point several times. Rather, repliers have twisted my words into a different kind of complaint that was never there. The fact that this manner is not duplicated at all, or even most, domestic airports, proves that it is not necessary to be hostile & aggressive toward a non-combative traveler & companions. And again, the thrust was that bringing something as official & recognized as a passport would tend to prevent such special screening – rudely or politely done.</p>

<p>Geez, I can see why some people leave this board. Try to be helpful, & you suddenly find yourself being attacked for things you didn’t say & meanings that are simply not there.</p>

<p>dmd,
I did not receive a similar warning about i.d.'s on my own e-confirmations. And specifically, as I’ve said maybe 3 times now, the live agent also did not pre-warn me. Therefore, I put out this thread to warn others in the future, who similarly might not be thinking ahead to that birthday.</p>

<p>Man.
Whatever…</p>

<p>homeschoolmom,
I appreciate what you say, but I still think that the passport will be brought whatever other i.d. is acquired & available. State drivers’ licenses (& non-driver i.d.'s) are frequently forged. Tougher to do that with passports. The less discomfort my D has to endure, the better. Not taking chances next time.</p>

<p>And nsm,
It is not just “wonderful” if the security personnel contact the gate. In my experience flying, it is routine. I’ve lost count over the number of times I have waited on an airplane past scheduled departure time, listening to announcements about travelers on that flight being delayed in security – not to mention even travelers arriving late to a flight for non-security reasons.</p>

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<p>oops—too late to edit–but I just noticed that I wrote “innercity bus or train,” when I meant “intercity bus or train” above.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the tip. However, I understand your frustration. My frustration lies with the fact that there is a limit on the amount of middle easterners that security is allowed to take aside for any individual flight. Fed regulations. Let’s see - 8 terrorists together, and they can only stop 4 for thorough searching? That could be why the Pakistanits, etc., got right through, maybe not. A, 80 yr old friend of ours was travelling to visit her family in different cities - in a wheelchair. Heart problem and macullar degeneration. She was almost strip searched every single time she went to another city. You have to see this little grey-haired lady to understand our disbelief. She says she will never fly again! Her D, in her 60’s was with her, and she walked through every single time without a problem. Now, if one of a pair is a problem, you would think the travelling partner also would be. I read about these limitations a while back, and there was a quote from a Muslim-American woman who said she thought that this was ridiculous, because she didn’t want to be on a plane with terrorists either, and if she was stopped evey time, that would be fine with her. Profiling is an evil is the politically correct mantra. I have heard so many stories of TSA going overboard on certain situations that sound ridiculous. And, yes, the agent should have told you about all this when you booked.</p>

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<p>What about state ID cards…California has them, its looks like a drivers license, but isn’t any good for driving, but is a valid id</p>

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<p>Once we asked for a seat near the front, flying from Mexico…we needed to catch a flight in LA and the Mexico flight was already an hour late. So because I requested a seat near the front, we all got a MAJOR search…but we needed to be near the front so we could get off the plane quickly and run through immigration and change terminals and we did catch the flight (otherwise a night in LA)</p>

<p>We travel with passports and ID, and we each have copies of the others, along with copies at home with family…</p>

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<p>As an aside here…also make sure you get any renewals for said ids taken care of. My son turned 18 between leaving for school and coming home for Christmas break and thus his license expired in the interim. This can also cause headaches. </p>

<p>As for searches…my daughter’s suitcase went lacking after a TSA inspection at Hobby airport. :(</p>

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<p>Both our girls have state ID cards which they use for airplane flights etc. While they are both under 18 they have both flown on their own many times and never had a problem using a state ID card as legal ID. That is what they are for, many people do not have drivers licenses or passports, and they are a lot easier to carry than a passport.</p>

<p>Our youngest (14) seems to get picked for the “random” search, even when she is traveling with her gymnastics team. The random part does not seem random since she is from India. I wish they would just admit that she is searched because of skin color than trying to convince her it is “random”. She deals with it pretty well, and we tease her about being a terror but not a terrorist. </p>

<p>I am sorry about you and your daughter’s traveling stress, and it certainly would have been polite if TSA had let United know that you were delayed, but the United agent probably assumed that you knew that 18 year olds must have legal ID to fly.</p>