The airlines are trying to hoodwink us by making us think that the ID check is for security but as someone has already pointed out, it is strictly to prevent the resale of tickets. There used to be a huge blackmarket in airline tickets. You could look in the classified section of any newspaper and see numerous ads for people selling non-refundable plane tickets that they can't use. By checking ID, the airlines put all of those people out of business and that was their sole intent. Mark ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jon Wright" <jwright@halcyon.com> To: <AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU> Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2003 10:17 PM Subject: Re: Wired: Judge to Hear Air ID Challenge > First, "checking passports" doesn't apply to domestic air travel. > > I agree with part of Mr. Gilmore's beef. I maintain that the ID checking > rigmarole does nothing to improve air safety. First, does anyone really > believe that someone sophisticated enough to hatch a terrorist plot can't > come up with a fake ID? Second, I do believe that requiring me to provide ID > erodes my ability to travel freely and, if I choose, anonymously. Where I > disagree with Mr. Gilmore is on the searching issue. In-depth searches of > passengers would provide more real security than the mere fact that they > possess a driver's license. However, I think the scope of the search ought > to be limited to legitimate threats to the airplane--my stash or bundles of > cash or porno or whatever I happen to be traveling with shouldn't be subject > to the jurisdiction of the TSA. If I wanted to travel truly anonymously, > submitting a thorough search seems like a reasonable compromise. > > The only reason the ID checks persist is that it suits the airlines--they > prevent people from switching discount tickets at the last minute. Nobody > for a moment believes that checking a driver's license makes air travel in > the U.S. safer, do they? And the price--eroding civil liberties--is still > too high. And I believe it would be too high even if checking ID did > actually accomplish something. > > -- > Jon Wright > voice: 425-635-0338 > fax: 425-844-1403 > mailto:jwright@halcyon.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: The Airline List [mailto:AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU]On Behalf Of > David J. Wallace > Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2003 9:25 PM > To: AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU > Subject: Re: Wired: Judge to Hear Air ID Challenge > > Surely we're all agreed that it's a good idea to check passports before > boarding an aircraft? >