A teenager on his first flight alone was pulled into security and had his trip home canceled after gate agents figure out he was skiplagging, or booking a flight with the layover as the actual intended destination. …
A teenager on his first flight alone was pulled into security and had his trip home canceled after gate agents figure out he was skiplagging, or booking a flight with the layover as the actual intended destination. …
An interesting point, I went back to the article and the kid is only described as a “teenager”, but one who would need their own photo ID to get past TSA. That would probably put the kid to be at least old enough to have a learner’s permit.
Most airlines will let a 16 or 17 year old travel domestically on their own, as long a they have ID. While they are technically minors, the airline will not give them any special treatment, and expect them to make their own way on their connection.
I’d forgotten that most Americans don’t have passports. But I’m certain many under 16s fly across the US unaccompanied every year - shared custody agreements must make it conditional in at least a few thousand cases. Is there’s not a standard photo ID card available in the US aside from a passport or drivers license?
Nope, there is no mandatory, national ID for Americans, in large part because people dont trust the Federal government. Also, many people think it would be too similar to the biblical “Mark of the Beast”.
I wish I was kidding.
They’re not mandatory here either, but you do need a form of photo ID to take domestic flights, vote and buy age-restricted products. If you don’t have a passport or drivers license, or don’t want to carry them around, it’s very easy to obtain a PASS card (Proof of Age Standards Scheme). They’re accepted as an official form of ID and are only £15. I had an early version when I was in my teens so I could get child rates on transport, cinema tickets etc. I think they’re a brilliant idea.
I suspect there would be backlash here if they were made mandatory, but not because anyone considers them the mark of the beast. Just your usual privacy concerns.
There’s another factor at play in the US for this sort of thing, ID requirements to vote were used to prevent non-white people from voting, they probably still are in some parts of the country even though it’s illegal. Because of that history any required form of identification here has to be free to acquire while also getting over the other hurdles y’all were discussing(and the other poster is 100% right about the mark of the beast thing). It’s effectively impossible to institute