Futplex writes:

DCF writes: [re: shwoing picture ID to board commercial flights in the U.S.]

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I wonder how many have challenged this.

Any pointers to news articles or govt. press releases that actually state some rationale for the ID checks, however spurious ?

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I suppose they are trying to discourage people from buying tickets in false names so that the databanks can be more useful to the authorities.

It's bad enough that it is "illegal" (at least according to some recent ARC flight coupons of mine) to sell or otherwise transfer your tickets to someone else. I'd love to see them try to justify crap like that.

Without actually agreeing with the FAA, the reason you can't have a name other than your own on your ticket, as well as why you are required to be in your assigned seat on take-off and landing is because if there is a plane crash, they need to be able to identify an otherwise difficult to identify body. This does have some relevance to airport security if a plane is blown up. Sorry about this, Bob