Steve_

I thought it was worth starting another thread seeing as people were mentioning photo ID being required in the UK v. USA thread.

This is a DHS press release: http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/fil...f-20131220.pdf

Obviously it's not going to matter a great deal for most people until phase 4 is implemented but I can see it being an ongoing news story and political issue in States that oppose REAL ID the next few years.

Bink

Honestly, I don't see what the fuss is about. You have to present ID to board a plane now. All phase 4 does, is ensures that the ID being presented is from a process where adequate security measures have been taken to prove the persons identity. To be honest, I always fly with my PP. It's not been unknown for me to be in one part of the country and then have to leave to go half way across the world on a days notice from wherever I'm at so I like to be prepared (thankfully I get to delegate most of those trips these days).

rpjs

Oh there will be a HUGE fuss if they start denying boarding to folks from New York as our non-"enhanced" DLs are not Real ID compliant and the state has no plans to make them so. But I suspect that DHS will duck the issue by extending waivers indefinitely.

Speedwell

A passport is still perfectly good ID for the purposes of boarding any commercial flight, will always be perfectly good, and is the only one I ever use.

hungryhorace

You don't need ID to fly internally in the US anyway. So until they change that rule, REAL ID can **** off.

Bluegrass Lass

When you say "you don't need ID to fly internally": are you saying we don't need this REAL ID to fly, or you saying you don't have to have any ID to fly? If you are saying the latter, then you are wrong. You have to show your drivers license or other form of government ID to get on a plane to fly domestically.

hungryhorace

No, I'm not wrong at all. Stop perpetuating this myth. Myself and my wife (when she had her ID stolen) have taken domestic flights without any photo ID.

Bullshit. Read: http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/acceptable-ids

"We understand passengers occasionally arrive at the airport without an ID, due to lost items or inadvertently leaving them at home. Not having an ID does not necessarily mean a passenger won't be allowed to fly. If passengers are willing to provide additional information, we have other means of substantiating someone's identity, like using publicly available databases."

Bink

Your identity has to be verified. You can't fly without your identity being verified. In whatever form, there is some form of ID required to fly.

hungryhorace

Again, simply not true. We both had no identifying documents on us and flew from SFO > BOS without anything more than a bag search. It's a myth people are perpetuating that you 'NEED' ID to fly. You do *not*.

Bink

So you're telling me that they didn't check your identity in any way shape or form? They didn't look you up on their system to verify that you were who you said you were?

hungryhorace

Correct. Nothing. They took us out of the queue and to a separate table where they went through our bags, checked for drugs or explosives via swab test and that was it. We were on our way. The greatest hold up was waiting for a secondary TSA agent to come and take care of us.

My wife had been worried about it, as she just LOVES her ID, but I told her we'd get through fine. Turns out we did. Funny that.

Pulaski

Where/how did you check in?

hungryhorace

We went to the Virgin America desk at SFO. We were already checked in online. We deposited our baggage and went to the security line.

SultanOfSwing

I'm calling BS on that. They won't let you on a plane without verifying ID on either side of the Atlantic, unless under special circumstances (like when I forgot my driving license when I went for my visa interview and EasyJet let me on at Luton because my passport was with the Embassy). By rights, they could have told me to fluck off and I would have had to have my mum or sister fly out with my license, though.

They must have verified you through your credit card, or something else during the booking process or you'd have not been allowed to fly, anonymous online posturing notwithstanding.

Speedwell

...you are attempting to make sense out of something a representative of the government did regarding paperwork. Have you all learned NOTHING?