Why is it that some, but not all airlines operating internal flights within the United Kingdom are now demanding Photo ID before they will let you on board ?
None of this petty bureaucracy actually makes us any safer from terrorist attacks.
We would urge you to boycott any domestic airline carrier which is seeking to enforce such Soviet style or Apartheid internal travel documentation requirements for domestic travel within the United Kingdom.
Are they introducing this policy, which is contrary to the fundamental human right of freedom to travel, as part of Government policy, or have they taken it on themselves to erode our human rights ?
"All passengers must present valid photo identification at check-in for all flights.
The only acceptable forms of photo-ID on Ryanair flights are:
* A valid passport
* A valid National Identity Card issued by a European Economic Area (EEA) country (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK (plus Switzerland). Please note that not all EEA countries issue National Identity Cards.
* A valid driving licence with photo (is only acceptable on UK domestic flights and UK-Republic of Ireland-UK routes only)
N.B. Children under 16 years (including infants) travelling with an adult are required to have photo-ID when travelling on flights between European Economic Area (EEA) countries (excluding UK domestic flights and UK-Republic of Ireland-UK routes and German children under 10 using a valid Government issued Kinderausweis travel document). Acceptable photo-ID for children under 16 are: a valid passport or inclusion on the passport of the parent with whom they are travelling; or a valid National Identity Card issued by an EEA country. Only children under 16 travelling with an adult on UK domestic flights or UK-Republic of Ireland-UK routes may travel without photo-ID.
Expired forms of photo-ID will not be accepted for any flight. Failure to present valid photo-ID matching the names on your reservation will result in your being refused check-in without refund."
"The airline requires all passengers to provide photographic ID at check-in on all flights including domestic services.
Acceptable forms of ID on UK domestic flights are:
A valid passport - an expired passport can be used up to a maximum of two years after expiry
Valid photographic EU or Swiss national identity card
Valid photographic driving licence
Valid armed forces identity card
Valid police warrant card/badge
Valid airport employees security identity pass
A child on parent' s passport is an acceptable form of ID
CitizenCard
Valid photographic firearm certificate
Valid Government-issued identity card
SMART card
Electoral identity card
Acceptable form of non-photographic ID:
Pension Book"
Note that none of these Photo ID documents can actually be checked properely for authenticity by the airline booking staff. Who eaxactly is familiar with, and has online access to, for example, the Pension Books of citizens from each of the 25 European Union countries ?
Astonishingly, the credit card with which you have paid for your flight, is not, considered to be sufficient ID !
Some petty jobsworths at BMI seem to be demanding to see photo ID, even when BMI's Terms and Conditions clearly state that Photo ID is not required for domestic flights:
"For travel within the UK (including Belfast) there is no requirement to carry photographic ID. For international flights, each passenger must be able to present a passport and passengers travelling to Dublin or Cork must now provide either a passport or another type of photographic identification. Failure to provide the appropriate ID at check-in will render the passenger unacceptable for travel."
N.B. there is supposed to be Passport free freedom of travel between the Irish Republic and the United Kingdom.
You expect this kind of bureacratic travel madness in the USA, as illustrated by John Gilmore's experiences and law suits c.f. freetotravel.org, but now it seems to have spread to the United Kingdom.
Last year I flew from Edinburgh to Gatwick with Easyjet. On arrival at Gatwick, we were informed by the cabin crew that "BAA" wanted our photos.
As we left the plane, we entered a corridor where we were required to stop and look into a camera whilst the digital photo was taken, then we were handed a little card. As we entered the arrivals hall, there was a kiosk where we had to hand the card back.
The excuse for this: the corridor we were using allowed both arrivals and international departures and they wanted to be sure those arriving hadn't just been departing and turned round!
Note that we were not told before boarding that we would be required to do this. The little card we were given claimed the photos would be destroyed after 24 hours.
I emailed BAA asking about this, and they claimed they did it to comply with govt regulations after the 9/11 attacks...
James
RyanAir, EasyJet and similar 'backstreet' operators aren't interested in security, but they are interested in people who might want to buy more than one cut-price ticket and sell them on at a profit. Photo Identity checks effectively prevent this. Don't travel with these 'scum' oranisations!
I once kicked up a fuss at Gatwick about having to be photographed to board a flight to Newcastle. I quickly realised that if I didn't comply I wouldn't be allowed on the plane. However, it's a bit different when you've arrived at your destination. I certainly wouldn't have allowed a photo on arrival, as described in the previous post. I wonder what the bumptious sods in security would have done then?
As I understand it BMI don't require photo id on internal flights (unless they've just introduced it), but I bet BMI-baby do, for the reasons noted above. If BMI ask you for phot ID start by saying you haven't got any.
How is presenting e.g. Maltese pension book a *better* form of identity check than presenting the Credit Card actually used to purchase the ticket ?
Why should they care if someone occaisionally manages to sell one of their tickets at a small profit - surely in the vast majority of cases it will be cheaper to buy direct from them with no middle man ?
Quote: Why should they care if someone occaisionally manages to sell one of their tickets at a small profit - surely in the vast majority of cases it will be cheaper to buy direct from them with no middle man ?
The reason for this is that the price of the ticket from these 'low fare' operators varies dramatically according to demand. Depending on when you purchase a ticket the price can vary from literally a fiver up to the full price of perhaps ?200 or more (I'm talking UK to Ireland in this example). You have to provide your name when you purchase a ticket. However, what's to stop you buying up a plane-load of tickets with bogus names when the unit price is very low - usually when they're trying hard to fill the flight - and flogging them on at a vast profit? Answer - Photo ID. The name on your ticket must match that on your photo ID. If it doesn't then you don't get to fly, and companies like RyanAir don't give a monkeys because you've already paid. RyanAir are particularly inflexible regarding the type of photo ID they'll accept. The sooner they go bankrupt the better, although it has to be said that you can get some excellent deals if you're prepared to put up with all the crap they throw at you.
Good point about BMI now requiring photo ID (i.e. a passport) to go to Ireland. It's a travesty. We're supposed to be able to travel freely to Ireland without a passport. We share a so-called common travel area with them. How in hell's name does photo ID make it safer to fly? Please e-mail me with answers, or post here. I don't expect many, if any, replies, because it doesn't.
Great comments on your site - totally agree. Can you advise me? My friend has never flown before and would love to. Ryanair are offering Stansted - Blackpool flights on certain days at ?1.99 each way - cheaper than a pleasure flight from Clacton aerodrome! But he doesn't have any form of official photo I.D. Any ideas on how he might be able to get hold of some kind of official photo I.D. in a week or two please (as these airlines seem to continue to insist on this). Thanks Chris.
Some people have apparently managed to get away with using a London Transport weekly Travelcard photo ID card, which you could get hold of within 2 weeks, but it is still a gamble as to exactly what a particular airline employee will accept as photo ID.
There are many *official* photo ID cards which are not on these airlines arbitrary lists of acceptable ID cards e.g. Applicant Registration Cards which have photos and Biometric data on them which are issued by the UK Government to genuine asylum seekers, who may very well have no valid Passport or National ID card for obvious reasons.