Elonka wrote:
] But in terms of security at airports? I agree with the sign
] that is posted at St. Louis Lambert International Airport,
] which, to the best of my recollection, says: "Passengers
] wishing to fly are not required to submit to search of their
] persons or belongings. Such search may be refused, in which
] case the airlines have the right to refuse to allow the
] individual to board the aircraft." You might be interested in this, its a lawsuit covering this issue which is currently in the courts: http://cryptome.org/freetotravel.htm The lawsuit brings the following issues to bare on the comments you made: 1. You state that an ID requirement to fly is ok if it isn't also coupled with ID requirement as bus terminals, hotels, train stations, and other travel related businesses. The case argues that it is. 2. A search at an airport isn't legal just because you can avoid it by not flying. This kind of excuse could be used in any context. (You can avoid the search by opting not to, say, buy groceries, go to church, visit a doctor, or vote...) The searches are legal only because they are specifically intended to find weapons and explosives and are directly related to airline security. This doesn't mean that they can't bust you if they find evidence of a crime, but it does mean they can't LOOK for it. For instance, they can't pass out a picture of a stolen artifact and ask airport security to keep an eye out for it. This would constitute a warrentless search that has nothing to do with airline security. Consider how this fact relates to the no fly list. If they can't look for evidence of crimes, then can they look for people who may be wanted for crimes? There seems to be a very fine line here. An ID check is only useful to the extent that the IDs are cross referenced with a database. Prior to 911 the *ONLY* reason that ID checks were performed was to prevent people from reselling tickets. (Consumers bought into this because they beleived it was security related, but in practice ANY form of ID was acceptable and they were not cross referenced with anything other then your ticket.) What database should these IDs be cross referenced with? It would clearly be illegal to cross reference the IDs with traffic ticket information. Again, this is a search with no cause. Its a dragnet. Where do you draw a line between this and the no fly list? Frustraing matters, of course, is the fact that the government security regulations are "secret" as is the no fly list. This might explain why the experience is inconsistent. The airlines probably don't really know what the actual rules are. This also creates an incredible opportunity for abuse. What do we know about who is on this list? Do we even know if its well maintained? RE: How to fly without ID! | 
