ID check at MCO

[Showe]

Just an FYI.
We flew out of MCO on Sunday. We flew Northwest.
DH legal name is James. His boarding pass was printed with Jim on it. Of course, his drivers license said James so the lady checking boarding passes at MCO was like WHOA - you can't get through. she was very adamant about him not getting through with the name Jim on his boarding pass and James on his ID.

so, long story short - she told him he had to go back to the NW line and by this time it was two miles long - and get a new boarding pass.

Well, finally after a few minutes he remembered that he had a business card in his wallet that had his name as Jim. She accepted that but was very fussy about doing so.

Anyway, moral of our story - make sure your boarding passes state your legal name as printed on your driver's license etc.

 

[CarolA]

Sounds like some of the women and men in Nashville. The Nashville airport went out and hired teh RUDEST folks in town to check IDs. One of them got VERY upset with me because my hair style did not agree with the photo on my DL. He told me to get it cut that way!!! (I found someone to complain to!) Another one reached FOUR people back in line, grabbed my cell phone out of my hand and hung it up!!

 

[seashoreCM]

Next question:

Given the circumstances, would the person who prints boarding passes do one up right away for DH, or would that person or some other airline employee nearby be just as rude?

Would a letter to the airline after the fact do any good?

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Tigger_Magic]

Wowzers -- sounds like some of these screeners were/are on a major power-trip. Fortunately, I haven't run into anyone like this -- yet.

 

[Showe]

I guess my big gripe was that "barbara" the woman chekcing passes was very adamant about the fact that after 9-11 they are more strict and she got in our face about it. I said "what does his name being printed as JIM instead of James have to do with 9-11". I just hope they are checking for more important things as diligently as they are for simple things like that.

 

[CarolA]

Basically the sad part is that some of these people should NEVER have gottena job with this kind of power.

And they get away with it because most travelers are in a hurry. I have decided that if I miss a plane that's the price I pay. Every time I am treated rudely by an ID checker or TSA agent I find someone to complain to.... I am tired of this, I am not safer because you hired folks who are RUDE and ABUSIVE.... And as I point out to the rude person as I make a SHOW of writing down thier name, taxes and fees on my ticket PAID them....

Compliants on ID checkers should be directed to the Orlando Airport operating authority. That's who hires these folks.

And it would have taken NW quite a while to print a new boarding pass it's not that simple. Your whole ticket requires and adjustment, a MAJOR pain.

In Nashville I used to see the airline employees escorting passengers back to the front of the line to deal with the idiots checking IDs. (They also had some VERY interesting ideas on what was not a carry on and the airline would have to TELL them that YES it met the requirements....)

 

[Tigger_Magic]

ITA CarolA. Sometimes, sadly, this has to be a teaching moment for some of these people who think the TSA patch makes them the king or queen of their domain.

Shelley, I would have asked that person if they ever heard of a nickname. While they are focusing on names, someone could be slipping a gun, knife or shoe-bomb under their noses.

 

[klynn]

I brought my elderly mother to the airport a couple weeks ago. She had changed purses and forgot her DL. It was then that I found out you don't even need a photo ID as long as you are traveling domestic. She just had to show some kind of ID like a credit card and get the wand thing done at security.

 

[Showe]

Tigger Magic -
My DH and myself both asked this woman why the big deal about Jim/James...and I got a little frustrated and told her that she was ridiculous. That is when she got in my face about 9-11 etc. We were with the kids and I didn't want to make a huge fuss and at that point we were so frustrated thinking he had to go back in line to get a new boarding pass printed. We were just lucky that he had his business card with him or I probably would have been very vocal.

our problem was that all of his credit cards etc had his name as James.

I find it very interesting that you can go through security w/o a picture ID and use a credit card. I find that disturbing.

 

[Pinnie]

I brought my elderly mother to the airport a couple weeks ago. She had changed purses and forgot her DL. It was then that I found out you don't even need a photo ID as long as you are traveling domestic. She just had to show some kind of ID like a credit card and get the wand thing done at security.

I thought you had to present some kind of GOVERNTMENT issued ID.

pinnie

 

[maxiesmom]

Has the photo ID thing changed again? When I flew last May, I didn't even need a picture ID.

 

[Showe]

Has the photo ID thing changed again? When I flew last May, I didn't even need a picture ID.

we have always been asked to present ID when presenting our boarding passes at the security check. Otherwise, we only used ID when getting our boarding passes printed to begin with.

 

[Pinnie]

Sounds like some of the women and men in Nashville. The Nashville airport went out and hired teh RUDEST folks in town to check IDs. One of them got VERY upset with me because my hair style did not agree with the photo on my DL. He told me to get it cut that way!!! (I found someone to complain to!) Another one reached FOUR people back in line, grabbed my cell phone out of my hand and hung it up!!

We must have had the same screener. One of the worst experiences I had was in Nashville, too. I had a very surly TSA agent there. Another bad experience I witnesssed was in Denver where they were rudely trying to rush an elderly gentleman to take off his shoes. Poor guy could barely bend over and untie his shoes!

So far flying out of DTW has been decent!

pinnie

 

[Tigger_Magic]

Wow, Shelley -- that's just amazing that someone would be that picky about a name. I travel a lot on business and often think I must be incredibly fortunate not to have encountered some of these people. So far, everyone I encountered at MCO has been at least polite, if not quite pleasant. But I dread when my turn comes up.

 

[ameraumi]

Thanks for the head up! I know DH's ID shows Michael but I think all of our papers for our trip has him listed as Mike.

 

[Lewisc]

Although I tend to agree with the posters who think the screener over-reacted there is another side. Some passengers who are on the TSA watch list are making subtle changes in their name in order to avoid SSS screening. Having the passenger get a new BP with his correct name might have resulted in a SSS BP. I think a fair approach would be to just subject Jim to the same screening he would have gotten if his BP was SSS. He wouldn't have to back in the airline line but would take a few extra minutes at security.


There is a procedure to allow passengers who forgot their photo id. It includes a search that is all but a strip search and take extra time.

I'm surprised more people haven't had a problem with the photos matching. NY DMV keeps using the same pictures that are in the data base and peoples looks change over 10 years.

Although not the case here it's also possible the passenger might be listed in the no fly list under his legal name. I still think there should be a way for TSA to check it and do the additional screening without sending the passenger back to the airline.

 

[DVC-Don]

That and there are government checkers who try to get the screeners to overlook something or sneak something through. If they get through security that way, the screener could be fired.

 

[salmoneous]

I'm surprised you guys aren't jumping on the most ridiculous part of the story - she accepted a BUSINESS CARD as ID. Sure the Jim/James think is stupid and she needs an education from her supervisors. But it almost makes sense - she was just enforcing a rule and not applying common sense. But in what bizzaro world would you ever even consider a business card as some form of ID?

 

[Lewisc]

I'm surprised you guys aren't jumping on the most ridiculous part of the story - she accepted a BUSINESS CARD as ID. Sure the Jim/James think is stupid and she needs an education from her supervisors. But it almost makes sense - she was just enforcing a rule and not applying common sense. But in what bizzaro world would you ever even consider a business card as some form of ID?

Actually it makes some sense. The business card shows he normally uses Jim instead of James. It tends to rebute the theory that he used Jim instead of James to circumvent being on a no-fly or SSS list. AFAIK the business card with Jim was used in addition to a photo id with James.

They really should just have a procedure to check the legal name in their database and/or do extra security screening.

 

[tkldisney]

Check to make sure you:

-- Bring a boarding pass ticket or ticket confirmation such as a printed itinerary as well as a government-issued photo ID. Children under the age of 18 do not require an ID. At some airports only boarding passes will be accepted to enter the passenger checkpoint.

I just copied this from the TSA security website. I'm not sure how her MIL got through without ID.