TSA Crackdown is Smackdown for Passengers

Name on government ID must now match boarding pass/ticket -- or else

I had hoped that sometime after January 23, 2009, the Transportation Security Agency would loosen some of its silly regulations regarding passenger/traveler screening procedures instituted under the previous administration. My hopes were dashed, when the TSA announced recently that names on travel documents and government-issued IDs must now match exactly. This seemed like asking for trouble. And that's what's happening, according to a report yesterday on 9News:

" The difference between Don and Donald and Peg and Peggy might not seem
like much, but it could be enough to give you a big headache. Starting this
summer, air travelers are being required to have the name on their airline
ticket and the identification they use at the airport match exactly.

The change is part of Transportation Security Administration's Secure
Flight Program. It was created to solve problems created for travelers with
names similar, but not exactly the same, as individuals on the No Fly List. By
having travelers use their full legal name, it is hoped that fewer people will
be confused with identified terrorists.

"In addition, starting in mid-August passengers will need to provide
airlines with their date of birth and gender.

"While the new requirements may help people previously confused with
individuals on the No Fly List, they also could cause travel problems for the
general public if you are not prepared for them."

I rarely use my middle name or middle initial, but my passport reads "Claire Margaret Walter" and my Colorado driver's license reads Claire M Walter. When making an airline reservation from here on in, I need to be mindful of whether the trip is international or domestic and book accordingly. I can't tell you how many travel agencies have issued tickets to Claire Walters with an S on my last name, or to Clare Walter or Clair Walter without the I or the E in my first.

It could be worse for my son, Andrew Cameron-Walter and others with hyphenated names. Some computer programs cannot recognize hyphens and run a double last name together as one, while others can and do. I don't remember how his passport reads or what it says on his driver's license.

My belief is that real "evil doers" intent on causing mischief or mayhem in the air will be meticulous about matching their tickets and their IDs, no matter how they obtained those IDs, while innocent travelers will again be entangled in the web of TSA harassment.

I do wonder, however, whether I could be again be permitted through security with a boarding pass with the name Christopher Weber. Click here to read about that wondrous travel experience last December.