Real ID

All of this seems odd. It's weird that TSA is going to charge people $18 if they don't have a real id. Does $18 make everyone secure? Because real id is about security right? Or is it because the TSA is being forced to do extra work to verify someones identity before they get on a plane and they figured out on average it would cost $18/person? On the other hand pretending anyone in 2025 can somehow navigate the modern world without any form of identification also seems implausible, I'm sure there are exceptions but the overwhelming majority of people have some sort of id, life would be very difficult without one. In the last year I've crossed state lines over twenty times and no one has ever asked for an id. Why is everyone upset? What if we made getting SSNs or Tax ID numbers like a real id? Is getting one of those as difficult to obtain? Which is more important? I'm just a dumb mechanic with no answers.
 
If you put a Real ID under a blacklight, there is a LOT more going on making it hard to fake. Colorado does it best featuring a secret Stegasaurus. Between that and how much fraud we have in the US, it seems to me like a no brainer as to why TSA is making people have it. After all that crap to get one, it is definitely you lol.

Remember, first TSA said you CAN'T fly after a certain date without a Real ID, now you just pay a fine which is still giving the option to use a regular ID. Isn't that better?

Yes its a total pain to figure out...once. But we've had YEARS of "better get a Real ID or else travel will suck". Its not like they gave us 2 weeks. I do know that a huge number of urban people don't even carry an ID (yet some drive cars every day). Twice I've tried to hook hood people up with a rental car and they forgot their license because they never carry it. I really honestly won't even begin to pretend I understand what makes so many urban low income people who have a driver's license not ever want to carry it, but I see how because of it, this Real ID saga is bound to get racial if it hasn't already.

I get why those people would be up in arms about it, I do not understand why any airline pilot who already has gone thru so much certification and bureaucratic BS would take issue with it lol. Just an annoying thing we have to do exactly once.
 
Right. You probably had a ‘bonus’ search and some additional identity validation steps. But you were still able to do it.

I’m not comfortable charging a fee for that, and anyone who stops to think about it shouldn’t be either.
I mean, I'd still like to hear a good justification for why you need any ID to get on an airplane other than to confirm your ticket - which... hypothetically would be handled by the airline and not by the TSA or other security apparatus. Beyond that - somebody should be able to walk up to the counter, pay cash for a ticket, and go through security. Either the security screenings that are done are enough or they are not. If some people are so Liam Neeson dangerous that they can commit horrendous harm *after* they've gone through security with locked cockpit doors, etc. then I would posit that we have much much larger problems... If our baggage screening is that porous, then there is literally nothing we can do.

If there is someone who is on a terrorist watchlist who checks in, well, give them the "full" check, that is make sure all sphincters are examined. Similar if someone wants fly without their ID - but the idea that you should need some super secret special ID to move about the country is asinine and mark my words these sorts of checkpoints WILL be expanded if people do not advocate against this sort of thing. I don't know, the whole thing seems stupid to me - if you have to have a boarding pass and be searched to get through security, why do you need an ID at all lol?
 

OMG... all yall's states suck! We have third party DMV's all over the city here in PHX and in TUS. I haven't been to a DMV in literally years. I think the only thing, that they can't do at a third party DMV, here in AZ. is the driver written test and the driving test.

For my Real ID I took all of my info. Grabbed a number, when I got there and I was in and out in 10-15 mins tops.

Easy peezy!

This is not an advertisement to move here. Stay away, please!
 
“By the way, has enough time passed in this country that we can openly and honestly talk about the great things Osama bin Laden did for us?

And don’t act like he didn’t do anything good. How about the fact that we immediately know September is nine? That’s not nothing. That’s not noth– Do you remember what we used to do? January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August… nine. Honey, it’s nine. I use it for August. 9/11 minus one… eight.

How about the fact that every time you take your wife or your girlfriend to the airport, you no longer have to walk her all the way to the gate? Yeah, maybe next time you do a drop-off, you give him a quick, “Thanks, Osama.”
 
“By the way, has enough time passed in this country that we can openly and honestly talk about the great things Osama bin Laden did for us?

And don’t act like he didn’t do anything good. How about the fact that we immediately know September is nine? That’s not nothing. That’s not noth– Do you remember what we used to do? January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August… nine. Honey, it’s nine. I use it for August. 9/11 minus one… eight.

How about the fact that every time you take your wife or your girlfriend to the airport, you no longer have to walk her all the way to the gate? Yeah, maybe next time you do a drop-off, you give him a quick, “Thanks, Osama.”
I don't how walking with someone to their gate is banned, either, especially if you have an ID. How does this ban increase security? The security screening is either adequate for everyone or it's not adequate for anyone.

And there's an exception, as I learned several years ago. I was with my pregnant, disabled girlfriend who was flying to New Zealand for her sister's wedding. I guess it was obvious to the agent at the check-in counter she could use some help because she asked if I wanted to accompany her to the gate. That was nice. But it it's an unsafe practice, why allow an exception? It's total nonsense.
 
I don't how walking with someone to their gate is banned, either, especially if you have an ID. How does this ban increase security? The security screening is either adequate for everyone or it's not adequate for anyone.

And there's an exception, as I learned several years ago. I was with my pregnant, disabled girlfriend who was flying to New Zealand for her sister's wedding. I guess it was obvious to the agent at the check-in counter she could use some help because she asked if I wanted to accompany her to the gate. That was nice. But it it's an unsafe practice, why allow an exception? It's total nonsense.

It’s nothing to do with being unsafe.

After 9/11 and the creation of the TSA it became a requirement to verify any person going through the checkpoint against the various watchlists that were created. TSA didn’t want to do the verification, claiming they didn’t have the staffing or budget. And so it was passed on the airlines who were already set up to do the same for passengers. But airlines didn’t want to spend money on setting up easy ways to get passes because, well, it cost them money and were in the throngs of laying off thousands of staff.

And so we have the system we have. Of course, now that we live in a surveillance police state and all TSA needs to do it take your picture and don’t even look at your boarding pass anymore I’m sure they’ve already automated doing comparisons at the checkpoint the various lists so it’s not really necessary. Except of course for the fact that it would just cause even more delays at the checkpoint most of the time especially as all the friends and family would “forget” that they have prohibited items on their person and make for delightfully longer lines. Assuming the TSA notices with their already low detection scores…
 
I don't how walking with someone to their gate is banned, either, especially if you have an ID. How does this ban increase security? The security screening is either adequate for everyone or it's not adequate for anyone.

And there's an exception, as I learned several years ago. I was with my pregnant, disabled girlfriend who was flying to New Zealand for her sister's wedding. I guess it was obvious to the agent at the check-in counter she could use some help because she asked if I wanted to accompany her to the gate. That was nice. But it it's an unsafe practice, why allow an exception? It's total nonsense.

You've always been able to get a gate escort pass for people who need it.

Also a bunch of airports have a gate pass program where you can get a pass through security to either meet somebody or visit the shops and restaurants in the terminal. Pittsburg was actually the first airport to do it. They opened their new terminal (well, it's the old terminal that just closed this week, but it was new then) just before 9-11 and it had a huge shopping mall inside of security. They promised that the prices would the the same inside the airport as at the same stores outside the airport, and their hope was that people would treat the terminal like a big shopping mall and go hang out. 9-11 killed that, but they were able to get a gate pass program put together that allowed limited numbers of people access every day.

Points Guy as the current list of terminals that allow access:
 
You've always been able to get a gate escort pass for people who need it.

Also a bunch of airports have a gate pass program where you can get a pass through security to either meet somebody or visit the shops and restaurants in the terminal. Pittsburg was actually the first airport to do it. They opened their new terminal (well, it's the old terminal that just closed this week, but it was new then) just before 9-11 and it had a huge shopping mall inside of security. They promised that the prices would the the same inside the airport as at the same stores outside the airport, and their hope was that people would treat the terminal like a big shopping mall and go hang out. 9-11 killed that, but they were able to get a gate pass program put together that allowed limited numbers of people access every day.

Points Guy as the current list of terminals that allow access:
Pittsburgh.

Pittsburg (no h) is a city in California.
 
The TSA is a joke and identity checks are kabuki theater.

Doesn’t the system make air travel safer? This is the classic “three lock problem”. Three locks offer more security than two locks but how much more?

We let felons fly and don’t check for active warrants. How about the No Fly List and folks on the Terrorist Watch List? 99.99% of those folks have no active warrants in any country and would not be subject to legal action if they were known to be in the United States.

Does being on the No Fly List or even the Terrorist Watch List prevent you from clearing customs if you arrive in the US? No. Customs has access to the lists but aren’t bound to deny entry to someone on the list. Does being on the list prohibit one from buying a firearm or explosives? No.

This is silly stuff. Screen for weapons and let folks sell tickets on StubHub.
 
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It’s nothing to do with being unsafe.

After 9/11 and the creation of the TSA it became a requirement to verify any person going through the checkpoint against the various watchlists that were created. TSA didn’t want to do the verification, claiming they didn’t have the staffing or budget. And so it was passed on the airlines who were already set up to do the same for passengers. But airlines didn’t want to spend money on setting up easy ways to get passes because, well, it cost them money and were in the throngs of laying off thousands of staff.

And so we have the system we have. Of course, now that we live in a surveillance police state and all TSA needs to do it take your picture and don’t even look at your boarding pass anymore I’m sure they’ve already automated doing comparisons at the checkpoint the various lists so it’s not really necessary. Except of course for the fact that it would just cause even more delays at the checkpoint most of the time especially as all the friends and family would “forget” that they have prohibited items on their person and make for delightfully longer lines. Assuming the TSA notices with their already low detection scores…

My pet theory is that this is basically a jobs program. A lot of people work as TSA agents now, a lot of people work repairing body scanners, a lot of engineers worked developing them. That and a naked power grab - but yeah, a jobs program.

You've always been able to get a gate escort pass for people who need it.

Also a bunch of airports have a gate pass program where you can get a pass through security to either meet somebody or visit the shops and restaurants in the terminal. Pittsburg was actually the first airport to do it. They opened their new terminal (well, it's the old terminal that just closed this week, but it was new then) just before 9-11 and it had a huge shopping mall inside of security. They promised that the prices would the the same inside the airport as at the same stores outside the airport, and their hope was that people would treat the terminal like a big shopping mall and go hang out. 9-11 killed that, but they were able to get a gate pass program put together that allowed limited numbers of people access every day.

Points Guy as the current list of terminals that allow access:

And forcing people into this area gives local businesses a captive audience, so I imagine there's a lot of lobby pressure from the "Association of Airport Retailers" or whatever F-ed up trade group represents the Inmotion Corporation to keep these places as locked down as they can possibly get it.

The TSA is a joke and identity checks are kabuki theater.

Doesn’t the system make air travel safer? This is the classic “three lock problem”. Three locks offer more security than two locks but how much more?

We let felons fly and don’t check for active warrants. How about the No Fly List and folks on the Terrorist Watch List? 99.99% of those folks have no active warrants in any country and would not be subject to legal action if they were known to be in the United States.

Does being on the No Fly List or even the Terrorist Watch List prevent you from clearing customs if you arrive in the US? No. Customs has access to the lists but aren’t bound to deny entry to someone on the list. Does being on the list prohibit one from buying a firearm or explosives? No.

This is silly stuff. Screen for weapons and let folks sell tickets on StubHub.

Personally, I prefer a countably infinite number of locks.

But seriously, THIS.
 
You all think these arguments are anything new? Lots of people lost their minds when the first metal detectors showed in the early 70s, after a series of hijackings and a few deaths, including crew.

Scan me? Paw through my luggage?

Preposterous!
 
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