Rules exist for a reason … and apparently enforcement isn’t one of them. In a move I can only describe as bizarre, the TSA has announced that, next month, it will start enforcing a rule about passenger identification. The rule, according to the TSA blog, “fulfills a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission by assuming responsibility of watch list matching from individual airlines.” The rule was brought to the table last year, but this critical function came with a one-year grace period.
I find this bizarre, because it’s tantamount to announcing that an important need has gone unaddressed for 12 months.
According to a report on USA Today, the rule calls for passengers to provide their personal identification data when booking their flights, and they have to show “a recognized government ID at the airport that matches the information.” You’ll have to provide “name, date of birth and gender as it appears on your government ID” when you book in order to get a boarding pass.
If you’ve already booked travel for after November 1, 2010 and haven’t provided all the data that will be required, you’ll probably want to contact the airline before you head out to the airport.
[photo by glenmcbethlaw via Flickr]