photo id ?!?!

[Andrew Dalke]

Uncle Tim:
>It's curious that the FAA doesn't require photo ids (see
>http://www.faa.gov/).

All I could find was http://www.faa.gov/apa/tipbroch.htm
] Adult passengers must bring a government-issued photo ID. The FAA
] requires that air carriers request government-issued identification,
] such as a driver’s license or draft card, if the passenger appears
] old enough to have an ID. If a government-issued photo ID is not
] available, bring two pieces of ID, one of which must be from a
] governmental authority.

But so help me, I can't find the actual rule which says that photo
id is really required, or what counts as "government-issued".  (Could
I get my city to issue me a photo ID?)  The closest is

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/DBSearch.cgi?DBSearchDB=ecfr&DB=1&AC
TION=View&QUERY=108.201&RGN=BSEC&OP=and&QUERY=14&RGN=BTI&QUERY=3389&RGN=BSEC
CT&SUBSET=SUBSET&FROM=1&ITEM=1

which only talks about searches for explosives, arms, etc.

So I sent email to the FAA asking them to point me to the regulation
requiring ID and, if possible, justification for that requirement.

I also sent email to my local major airport asking what I need to
do in case while travelling I lose my ID or it gets stolen.

I did like this one, from Nov. 18, 1999 http://cas.faa.gov/ig5.pdf says
] Our criterion for testing was the ability to penetrate a secure
] area through any access point.  In 32 percent of our tests,
] we were *not* able to penetrate a secure area.

I want to see the Office of the Inspector General document on the same
topic a year from now.


>I've read that the airlines made up that rule, not
>for security, but to make it harder for person A to use a cheap ticket
>obtained by person B.  Is that true?  Beats me, but my cynical half can't
>not believe it <wink>.

I've heard that as well.  I'll wait for my response from the FAA since
I heard that about 10 years ago, when the requirement for photo id first
went into place.  Any bets on how long it will take for the FAA to
respond?

                    Andrew Dalke
                    dalke at dalkescientific.com