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Re: McVeigh is not the issue!




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At 10:44 PM 6/4/97 -0700, Steve Schear wrote:
>>(The airlines claim the FAA is requiring traveller identity. Maybe yes,
>>maybe no.
>
>Traveler ID is not 'required', however if you don't possess a government
>issued ID and/or have paid for your ticket via cash within 48 hours of
>departure expect some delays in your travel and a through search of your
>baggage.

In the Atlanta airport, positive gov't issued picture ID is required to be 
able to board an airplane for Delta, the main carrier, and about the only 
airline I fly.  I have medallion level friends who have been refused the 
ability to board because they did not have picture ID on them.  Stories 
include no travel with temporary, non-picture driver's licenses, having to go 
home to get the license, having a license fedex'ed to the destination city in 
order to board to get home, and reticketing on another airline that will 
accept a company ID.

Cash has nothing to do with it.  Business travel from repeat customers paid by 
American Express and ticketed through corporate travel agencies (American 
Express Travel) still have the ID requirement.  As far as I know, all Atlanta 
airline departures require picture ID, though at least one airline will 
consider a company ID if pressed.

I believe this is a bad policy, and think it should be opposed.  Perhaps a law 
should be considered to change this.  But obviously many people here would 
tell me I could just take another mode of transportation, such as riding the 
bus.  Airlines are private corporations owned by their owners, not by their 
riders.  The airlines apparently have a right (as Delta is doing) of demanding 
any prerequisite they wish for travel.  In the case of Delta, the prerequisite 
is "May I see your papers, please?"

I believe in anonymous travel, just as I believe in anonymous speech, and 
anonymous transactions.  I recently subscribed to this list to help mature my 
views on issues such as collection and verification of electronic database 
information by private and gov't entities.

I'm curious where the people here stand on such a policy.  Do you feel that 
positive ID to fly on a plane should be permissable?  How about a law to put a 
stop to it?


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