How to Fly without ID: San Francisco

Showing posts with label San Francisco. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Lost ID, but no problems flying from SFO

Airport: San Francisco (SFO)
Date: March 14, 2008
Reason given: Lost ID
Reference: Molly Oliver
Result: Successful
Description: So, a little spacey quality snuck in as I was travelling last weekend and I mislaid my photo ID in SF airport. It is also much easier to get on a plane without identification than one would be led to believe. I do think I actually made it through security a little quicker with out, although I had to suffer the humiliation of being shunted into this little cattle corral thing for a bit, stay extra long in the air-puffer chamber and then have some nice young girl wipe down my shoes, phone and the entire inside of my bag with what looked like an oversized Stridex pad. I am so glad that the TSA is keeping us safe.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Succesfully flew without ID, San Francisco, December 19, 2007

Airline: United
Airport: San Francisco
ID Offered: None
Date: December 19, 2007
Reference: Personal
Reason given: Want to be a selectee
Result: Successful
Description: In the security line, I told the TSA agent that I want to fly as a selectee. She mumbled "you forgot your ID" and I responded "I want to fly as a selectee." She handed me off to another agent who scribbled "SSSS" on my boarding pass and directed me to a line for selectees, which shared a metal detector with a regular line. The only difference is that bins in our line were brown instead of grey. I let several people go ahead of me, since I had plenty of time before my flight and they were running late. The line was moving slowly but everything was orderly and pleasant. My items were swab tested (before I even caught up to them) and I asked for a manual pat down instead of going through a puff machine. No information was recorded, and no one asked to see my boarding pass after the initial agent directed me to the selectee line. This has been one of the best experiences flying without ID. This may be due to the fact that these agents at San Francisco are not actually TSA agents, but from a private firm. Their uniforms display labels of both the TSA and the private firm.

Monday, September 17, 2007

American, January 2007, San Francisco, Successful

Airline: American
Airport: San Francisco (SFO)
ID Offered: Credit card, Co-Op membership
Date: January, 2007
Reference: Chris Soghoian
Reason given: Choice
Result: Successful
Description: When I flew back from San Francisco this morning, it was my first attempt ever to fly on American Airlines without ID.
Every single time I've attempted to fly without ID, i've been able to successfully avoid showing TSA a single piece of ID - the tricky part is trying to get your boarding pass and check a bag without showing anything to the airline.

American demanded 'some' form of ID. I didnt' want to argue too much, so I whipped out a credit card and my Bloomingfoods Organic Food Co-Op membership card, gave it to the agent, and then she printed me out a special SSSS boarding pass - AA is high tech, and doesn't seem to resort to sharpie pens.

The fun started once I got to the TSA checkpoint. [more...]

View posts where...

Passenger was... Successful / Unsuccessful in flying without presenting ID to the government.

Passenger reported to authorities that they chose to not show ID or, alternatively, lost ID. Or, passenger chose to be intentionally ambiguous.

Passenger departed from AUS / BOS / BUR / BWI / CHO / DCA /DFW / EWR /GPT / IAH / ISP / JFK / LAX / LGA / MCI / MDW / PDX /PHL / SAN / SFO /Virgin Islands

Interesting experiences or news about TSA. Information concerning your privacy, civil liberties, secret law, and TSA keeping a record of travelers . ID requirements for kids. Enforcement of immigration laws by TSA.

Passenger was able to fly completely ID free, or showed alternative ID, or where the ID had expired.

Experiences with Southwest / Continental / Delta / American / United / Airtran (Note: if you have a pre-printed boarding pass, you no longer need to interact with the airline to fly without ID).

You may lose the right to travel on airplanes without prior permission from the government and invasive government databases. News on the frightening secure flight and realID programs.

View the complete guide to flying without ID.

Why this blog exists.

You have the right, according to TSA (see this letter), to fly domestically without ID, if you are willing to subject yourself to extra screening.

You can proceed with your boarding pass directly to the security line. Tell the agent who checks credentials that you are flying as a selectee. They will usually mumble something like "you forgot your ID?". You can just repeat that you are fly ingas a selectee. The TSA agent will mark "SSSS" on your boarding pass and will usually send you to a special line for additional inspection.

This inspection includes a hand check of your bag, swabs for explosives, and a puff test of your person in a big puff machine. You may refuse the puff test, and will get a manual pat-down instead.

Choosing not to show your ID to the TSA does not usually take much longer than going through the normal procedure, and in some cases may even be faster.

Previously, you needed to go to your airline's check in counter and ask to fly as a selectee so they can mark "SSSS" on your boarding pass before you go to the security line. This no longer seems to be necessary. If you need to check bags, or need to check in at the counter itself, some airlines may require ID for revenue protection. Please check the links above for information about individual airlines--most will accept alternative ID, such as a credit or library card.

In one case, the TSA recorded information from a boarding pass.

If you have successfully flown without ID or with non-governmental ID and would allow me to post your experience here, please email me the details at todaysprayer@gmail.com.