easyJet to require photographic identification on domestic flights

[moggie]

Got to say that I am all in favour of national ID cards - far too long getting round it. I am ex-RAF so spent most of my working life so far with an ID card and here in Spain we all have to have one - even babies. Now, the babies bit is silly, but for adults it is a great idea. The shops use them to check that the possessor of a credit card is in fact the legal owner and anyone caught by the plods (ouch!) without a card is assumed to be an illegal immmigrant until proven otherwise.

The card contains picutre, signature an right forefinger print, it's credtit card sized (but thinner) and fits into a wallet with no bother.

As for Civil Liberties - I believe it enhances them as I can categorically prove to anyone that I am who I say I am. It holds no police or financial data (no magnetic strip) and only those with soemthing to hide are wary of this kind of thing.

By the way, might help to cut benefit fraud and therefore taxes if you folks had them - how does more money in your pocket sound?

Good on you eJ - although a little more warning may have been a good idea.

Anyone taking bets on when the UK national ID card is introduced? My money says by xmas 2002.

[fltdeck]

At the end of the day there are ways around everything. You can still have an anonymous bank account, dual citizenship through investment, driving licence and even corporate credit cards through ficticious companys. These things are still available and as long as the large conglomerates provide the demand they will always be around along with the unsavory charachters exploiting the system. If a passport is needed no prob, driv lic too!! just search the net!....... sad but true..

[Ibis]

By the way, might help to cut benefit fraud and therefore taxes if you folks had them - how does more money in your pocket sound?

moggie, do you realy belive you pay less tax when benefit froud is prevented?

[ 11 November 2001: Message edited by: Ibis ]

[moggie]

No, I do not expect that cutting benefit fraud will result in a tax cut. Howver, it may actually prevetn yet further stealth tax increases, which results in much the same thing - more money in your pocket than you would otherwise have.

Here in Spain, direct taxes are quite high to cover the cost of the social security system, but that is mostly offset by lower indirect taxes (petrol is 45p per litre and beer, wine and spirits are almost free with local supermarkets charging less than the old "duty free" shops used to!).

There is plenty of annecdotal evidence that having an ID card reduces fraud - not just benefits but also credit cards - and may have some scurity benefits. Mind you, ETA seem to still have a pretty free hand.

ID is not the answer to all problmes but is a useful tool along with other checks and procedures.

I'm al for ID cards - the sooner the better .

[southern softy]

based on some of the pathetic comments above, why not abolish passports seeing as some think everything is so easy to fraud, or...... should we start to make an effort to sensibly address security.

Well done ezy.

[keepin it in trim]

I don't feel that my civil liberties are threatened by having to produce photo ID to board a flight. And if such a check deters anyone who might be unmasked before they board an aircraft so much the better.

One slight concern, if I recall correctly the press suggested that the 11 Sep hijackers may have had weapons prepositioned on the aircraft. Given the repeated "shock" stories in the press about how easily one can gain employment with cleaning companies etc, and get access to aircraft, shouldn't a little more vigour also be applied to real vetting of such people. Oh, and anyone who feels I'm giving people bad ideas here, this sort of story crops up in the papers with monotonous regularity.

[M.Mouse]

moggie

i don't have a problem with ID cards but if you think it will make one scrap of difference I think you will be disappointed.

People that commit fraud or crime will quite easily get forgeries.

I can direct you to several locations in the Far East that will copy anything more or less while you wait for a small fee. I have no doubt that should you not wish to travel so far that they are readily available closer to home for a slightly greater fee.

Like most measures taken for my benefit they serve only to inconvenience the law abiding.

Sad but true.

[moggie]

Photo ID helps. My bank (RBS) cut credit/debit card fraud to near zero when they introduced photos on the cards. This may only move the problem elsewhere but it is a start.

[Chocks Wahay]

It's not just an Easy requirement - BA have long asked for some ID (Credit card suffices usually), and Go have been advising pax of the introduction of a requirement for photo ID from Jan 1st 2002, describing it as being a stautory requirement. Full points to Go for being pro-active on this. High time such a requirement was introduced, especially on "ticketless" airlines.

[Gypsy]

full points to GO for being proactive....?

I thought it was eJ that have done it and Go were following suit.

Chocks Wahay - why is this especially needed on ticket less airlines?

[glider insider]

who did it first isnt the issue. if arguing I think FR did it months ago. anyway, the way Go are doing it is from now until January asking every passenger for photo ID on domestic flights, but not having it as a requirement, thus getitng regualr travellers used to producing ID. also Inet bookings and reservations staff are giving the message. no doubt in January for both EJ and Go there will be passengers forgetting ID, and no doubt there will be posts on here from SLF whinging that they had bought a ticket and were denied boarding, and had they got the train they dont need id....

[fmgc]

But what advantage is there to security?

[glider insider]

The advantage is that it gives the airline a passenger list backed up by a passport confirmation rather than a list based purely on reservations and with no ID check up. This should stop people travelling on other peoples tickets and stop people booking with false names.

I know someone will say that a faked passport can be used. but it can also be used on an international flight.

[fmgc]

But how does that stop somebody putting a bomb on board or sneaking a knife through security?

I still can not think of anyway that it could increase security.

It smaks of "being seen to do the right thing" rather than doing the right thing.

Increasing security of bag and pax searches, better control of who has access to airside areas etc.

[moggie]

Unless you have a suicide bomber, people are less likely to carry weapons on to an aeroplane if you can track them via their ID. It does not stop your average fanatic carrying weapons on board (that is the job of physical checks) but it is one tool to be used in the overall control of security.

It helps to reduce the likelihood of domestic flight tickets being passed on to someone other than the purchaser.

Here is a thought for you - all the aeroplanes used in the Sept 11th attacks were US DOMESTIC flights. Now, would not a fully laden B747 on an international flight have made an even bigger hole in the Pentagon? However, international flights required ID...........................

Now, this may not be why domestic flights were chosen, maybe it was overall lax security, but we are back to my point of it being a PART of the picture.

[fmgc]

I wold say that 99% of the reason that US Domestic flights was because of lack of security.

[moggie]

FMGC you have just made my point for me. 99% of the reason the terrorists chose domestic flights was lack of security.

No ID was required and as has been said here before it is a PART of the whole security cover. People may well be less likely to try it on if there is photo ID required at the check-in stage. The airlines will be able to see that the people checkingin are who they say they are and that makes it easier to trace them back if you have to.

It will probably not stop the suicide hijacker - but it will make it harder for him and along with the other security measures in place it may just be too difficult to make it worth the risk.

We will never know if it works - although we may see if it doesn't! If no more suicide hijackings occur - who could honestly say WHAT prevented them, other than the TOTAL security effort.