LAX Airport Security… does it really matter?
 

We are on our way home from a week at in the LA area where we took in Luft, Disney, and other family ‘stiff’… (if you know, you know).

On our flight out of LAX this afternoon, not ONE TIME did they ask for ID. Not once.

They confiscated our sunscreen at security but not one time did we have to verify who we were.

I had our passports out at security and was told by the security agent to put them away - we don’t need those. I told her that seems weird but ‘ok’.

Then at the bag check again (where they saved the world by confiscating our sunscreen), only the tickets were needed. Not even scanned.

Has the system become so entrenched in getting every one to take off their shoes that determining who is actually flying no longer matters?

Perhaps my notoriety as a prolific oilfield innovator proceeds me… somehow I doubt it. Not in LA anyway.

They know exactly who you are. You didn't buy those tickets with cash. Big data don't need no IDs.

Indeed a sad rant

I don't recall not having to show ID when dropping off checked luggage or going through TSA screening. I've seen some insane stuff, where they swore it was a security measure, but I could opt out if I paid $100 and even worse than that. But I've never not had to show ID a few times at any airport.

So did you come down here and sell your 930? Sorry if this has been covered already elsewhere.

I think his 930 was sold on BAT.

I flew out to OK last week from Denver and had to show my ID at both airports.

Weird is right they did not ask for your id.

How was Luft?

Luft was good. I really enjoy the format and the crowd. The show was smaller than it was in 2019 and less ‘wow’ factor.

I met with the new owner of the 930 and hand delivered the records for the car. He did have his 77 930 in the show.

I’ve never flown anywhere in the US and not been asked for ID. Including at LAX. As recently as last month. They ask for ID and boarding pass right before entering screening.
Weird they’re not consistently doing it. Probably determined that it’s somehow “racist.”

Pretty normal. Nothing triggered at the walk in when you were in line. ID, they know you before you arrived at the airport including your 6559 posts on the Pelican forums. You werent pre-flagged. You werent suspicious enough. No profuse sweating. You werent scratching yourself or had an eyelid that fluttered strangely. Its when the baggage gets checked and no body is on the plane to accompany it during its journey is when the big code red gets triggered. The fact that you were on a return trip most likely to the city you live near or originated from.

Shoe removal became part of the TSA screening process in 2006 after Richard Reid, better known as the shoe bomber, well you know the rest. Its harder to roll back a rule than eliminate it. Yet children are not required to take off shoes, go figure? Metal in shoes triggers the backscatter observation visual checks and puts everyone on edge and they have to stop the whole process. Anything other than dental hardware, pacemakers, implants, hip, knee, elbow joints upsets the apple cart. Manual pat down screening by TSO is pretty thorough and uncomfortable. If you fail the PDS you will be taken to a private room. Good chance you will miss a flight if they want to dig into you.

You were a liquid contraband balmer and the SPF 50 threat was nuetralized. Actually you probably exceeded rule 3-1-1 which is the most common offense.

Use Pre Check for continental destinations. If you travel internationally four or more times a year, consider enrolling in Global Entry.

Gate checks appear to be random. TSA does randomly pull people from thin air for further checks. Its part of the criteria. The fuglier you are the less the chance. Swabs? I have seen them do every other person or every fifth person. No method from what I have seen.

Sounds like you had a quiet friendly uneventful flight. They way it should be for everyone.

I haven't flown in a few years, but my experience, both before and after 9/11 is that the experience can vary wildly from airport to airport. I feel like since 9/11, I've always had to show ID to get through security, and then again at the gate, but then I think recently, that dropped to only one of the two.
I've had folks confiscate stuff (it's been years). I try to never bring anything that they'd want to confiscate, but again, I think it's different at least airport to airport, if not depending upon the person/day.

Many, many years ago, I was flying out of the Phoenix area, IIRC. This was before things got really crazy, or maybe at the beginning.

I recommend that you take off your shoes, sir.
(first time I'd ever heard such a thing) Do I have to take them off?
No, but I recommend that you do.
But I don't have to?
No, but I recommend that you take them off.
If I have to then I will, but if I don't have to, then I'll leave them on.
what that meant was "yes, you have to, and if you don't, then we'll search your luggage, swab your hands, etc..." I didn't get my junk groped or anything, but they did a very thorough search. If they'd just said "yes, you have to take your shoes off..."

You can bet your ass that was the last time that I had that experience.

I’m sure they are using facial recognition, remotely scanning your boarding passes, using AI to scrap social media, searching all online purchasing, and scraping your grocery store purchases to gather a profile on you, the results = benign Canadian…

😀

REAL ID is coming. Enjoy domestic air travel while you can.
Just in time to prevent voter fraud in 2024.

https://www.dhs.gov/real-id

No, it does not really matter

Sounds like you sort of missed his point

After following you all over CA and documenting every move, they didn't need to see yer ID again ;)!

I just flew last week, CA to HI and then back a week later. I have a complete titanium shoulder. I told TSA they put me in a typical scan machine, (standing with arms raised over your head like you are ready to do a Jumping Jack). They said, yeah, we see it. Then searched my pockets? I had nothing on me at all- no alarms went off, yet both times they searched my pockets. WTF?

Oh, I am a senior citizen, born and raised in CA. Yeah, I am the security threat they need to be concerned about.....

Went through LAX on Tuesday. Made me think of this episode...

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I think it has to do with ID being verified during the check-in process. It does feel peculiar for them to not check ID anyway, but that policy doesn't seem to be standard across all airports so maybe it's a technology thing they have on the back-end. In some airports I have to show boarding pass and ID, some boarding pass only. It's been a little strange.

At Hartsfield in Atlanta, for the TSA Precheck line you do not even have to show a boarding pass anymore, they scan your ID in this little machine.

It also takes a lot longer than the traditional way, so there is that.

Yeah, on Int'l flights out of the US these days I've never shown ID at the gate, they have facial scanners, flash green done... Our info/facial and otherwise is out there.. Especially mine since I signed up for TSA pre and then Global entry... What a cool feature that is, BTW! I recommend it - you get a real ID as part of the deal, and it includes PRE so you get thru TSa fast and immigration in 20 seconds. After seeing 1H+ lines that's awesome.