Airlines looking to add birth date and gender to ticketing information

[pamela_a]

I happened to stumble on this news article from a newspaper in Tacoma WA:

Airlines will add birth date, gender to ticketing information
JOHN GILLIE; The News Tribune
Published: October 24th, 2008 12:30 AM | Updated: October 24th, 2008 07:37 AM
Expect to furnish not only your name but also your birth date and gender when you buy airline tickets soon.
A new rule imposed by the federal Transportation Security Administration calls for passengers to provide that information to airlines, which will forward it to the TSA.
The information will help reduce the number of people who needlessly are put through additional searches or are denied access to air travel because their names are the same as those on federal watch or “no fly” lists.
Among those that were the victim of so-called “false positives” was Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, who was barred from a 2004 flight.




-Paula-

[janet1234]

the government or the TSA, notice what they did to some poor woman, making her take her brace off and damaging her leg.
Their philosophy even extending to 90 year old women is "guilty until proven innocent"

[Suzy Harrison]

I found your security very intense when I visited last month. Every ten minutes in Atlanta there was a public address announcment going on about "Homeland Security"


When I got back into Australia - the first sign I saw about security at the airport was a lighthearted notice:


SECURITY NOTICE
Be Alert - Australia needs more Lerts!

[battybattybats]

Gender markers help identifying people by.....?

They don't except in the rarest of circumstances. Are there many terrorists named Leslie?

And with the advent of female suicide bombers using gender markers as a screening tool actually helps reduce real security!

If they want to really identify people they should invest in substantial biometrics.

The real function of gender markers is to discriminate against people whose gender expression does not match the expectations of the official as to what is appropriate for their gender marker.

Blood type would be a far far more effective way of identifying people, it changes far less often than someones gender (one case only that i know of after a bone-marrow transplant. More people change sex naturally than change blood type!)

and the test is quicker and less obtrusive as new techniques allow blood type to be tested in seconds from asigle drop of blood while testing someones sex requires a full stripsearch and even then can be wrong and require chromasome testing and that too can be wrong as some people are absolutely unclassifiable as male or female as some are chimera, a mixture of both male and female cells in a single organism.

These measures are a pack of rubbish designed to make it look like security is increased when actually it is not.

The only rel practical result will be discrimination against Transgender and Intersex people!

[robb01]

thats rediculous

[Jonianne]

.........The only rel practical result will be discrimination against Transgender and Intersex people!

I don't really think that is their goal. I believe their goal is far more "Big Brotherly" in nature - total control over everything and everyone, at all times! Being able to tag and trace anyone who might show any sign of dissent from the status quo - which would be considered a big threat to government. Any free thinking person is a threat in their view.

[Miss Tessa]

When you "commit" and so-called crime in America, especially FLORIDA, it's Guilty Until Proven Innocent.

I know I been to jail many times and prison twice. You would be shocked at how many times I have been arrested when I didn't do the crime they said I did.

I got a robbery charge just for CARRYING a gun one time.

And you would be shocked at how much C.O.(guard) to Inmate abuse goes on in the prison system, especially if you're TS girl like me among a bunch of men.

[trannie T]

You pay a small fortune for the privilege of some halfwit pawing through your lingerie. You are crowded like cattle into the plane then given a seat designed for second graders. You are given the opportunity to pay for the use of a pillow. The plane then sits on the field waiting for takeoff. Once airborne the fat guy beside you falls asleep, snores and drools on your arm. The plane gets to the terminal just in time for you to see your connecting flight pull away. Once you arrive at your destination you find that your luggage is in another time zone.
Do you have any other questions why I do not fly?

[Toni_Lynn]

The birth date I can understand, but gender is none of their darned business!

Having just flown, I can tell you that it is a totally exasperating experience. The airline's nickel and dime-ing of you is inexcusable. The whole security thing is paranoia gone wild. You can't bring a bottle of water through security, but you can sure as all heck buy one air-side!

I recall how in 2002 I flew to Iceland. Of course security screened out all knives and sharp objects. But -- what did they have at the restaurant that was air-side at Keflavik airport -- yep -- regular knives and forks!

We live in a world powered by nightmares, a world were in a sense Osama binLiner is Dubya's best friend, because he is the reason he is president. As was said in the Pogo comic strip -- we have met the enemy and he is us.

Huggles

Toni-Lynn

[Laura_Stephens]

TSA - Thousands Stranding Around.

Google Bruce Schnier's writings about TSA. TSA is so bad they make the FBI actually look like they know what they are doing.

TSA = Yet Another Failure by "Dub".

[Jenny J]

I have an acquaintance that is a FFDO, Federal Flight Deck Officer. He’s authorized and trained to carry a hand gun in the cockpit. The irony here is that should he decide to take his family somewhere on vacation sans gun, he must jump through about a dozen hoops just to get through the security screening. He’s on the National Watch List and it takes 20 minutes to get cleared (by DOB). Does that make sense?

Date of Birth Ok, Gender, no way!

Jen

[TxKimberly]

And it should matter not at all to any of us. If you are a cross dresser that flys like I am, this changes nothing. You already show them your male ID so the cat is already outta the bag and it makes no difference if that same info is on your ticket as well.

No, the TSA is not perfect, but their goal is to get me to where I'm going alive so I like to cut them a little slack.

[unclejoann]

TSA is only in its baby stage, give it another decade and they will be trains and buses and we will all be carrying in-country passports or embedded chips.

I recommend confusing them as much as possible, keep those fools busy with things that don't matter so the terrorists can get on with their work.

[Phyliss]

I happened to stumble on this news article from a newspaper in Tacoma WA:

Airlines will add birth date, gender to ticketing information
JOHN GILLIE; The News Tribune
Published: October 24th, 2008 12:30 AM | Updated: October 24th, 2008 07:37 AM

Among those that were the victim of so-called “false positives” was Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, who was barred from a 2004 flight.


-Paula-

Well that explains it, the obese fingers of "senator swimmer" are to be found in the background.

Any idea, no matter how good, is wrong if he is involved.

[FlygrlChristy]

TSA - Thousands Stranding Around.

Google Bruce Schnier's writings about TSA. TSA is so bad they make the FBI actually look like they know what they are doing.

TSA = Yet Another Failure by "Dub".

Just thought you ought to know, TSA - Thousands Standing around, has recently been updated by airline employees to, TSA - Tub Stackers of America

Christy

[sandra-leigh]

Just what the US economy needs: another reason for me not to travel and spend my tourist dollars there!

I don't own any photo-ID that shows my date of birth. I don't need it to fly within Canada, as I have a piece of government issued photo-ID, namely my employee identification badge for work. Getting a passport is a long and expensive exercise -- the whole US push to require passports for all entries has lead to long lineups at the Canadian passport offices. We used to drive down to the USA for the day (and spend our money there); we don't do that any-more.

[Laura_Stephens]

Just thought you ought to know, TSA - Thousands Standing around, has recently been updated by airline employees to, TSA - Tub Stackers of America

Christy

[audrey-lynn]

You pay a small fortune for the privilege of some halfwit pawing through your lingerie. You are crowded like cattle into the plane then given a seat designed for second graders. You are given the opportunity to pay for the use of a pillow. The plane then sits on the field waiting for takeoff. Once airborne the fat guy beside you falls asleep, snores and drools on your arm. The plane gets to the terminal just in time for you to see your connecting flight pull away. Once you arrive at your destination you find that your luggage is in another time zone.
Do you have any other questions why I do not fly?

I love it. You got it all right. I'm retired Air Force and I refuse to fly anymore. Rather take and extra day and drive

[Angie G]

I had I I say had a fake fishhook that gos a hat And they wouldn't let me kack it on the flight. But gave my a knife with my meal that could clearly do way more to cut someone. I don't know what they or if they think.
Angie

[battybattybats]

I don't really think that is their goal. I believe their goal is far more "Big Brotherly" in nature - total control over everything and everyone, at all times! Being able to tag and trace anyone who might show any sign of dissent from the status quo - which would be considered a big threat to government. Any free thinking person is a threat in their view.

It may not be the intent but its the only reliable likely practical result.

The intent I suspect is to distract people from the massive holes in the rest of security so they look like their doing something.

And the reason it effects us is that once this is in place then if our appearance doesn't match the 'identifier' then it's likely off to get stripsearched or even turned away for attempting to disguise, falsify identity or some other such rot!

Plenty of people have suffered worse with airport security of late. Especially the disabled.

[janet1234]

Is to fasten the yoke of tyranny more firmly about the necks of the American people.
If I were a foreigner I would travel elsewhere.

[Taffy]

Yet another example of what Bruce Schneier calls "security theater" -- not real security, but inconveniences providing the illusion of security. The madness continues...

[Nicki B]

TSA is only in its baby stage, give it another decade and they will be trains and buses and we will all be carrying in-country passports

You've had that for a long time. You need to offer your photo ID to be able to legally buy a train ticket in the US?

The intent I suspect is to distract people from the massive holes in the rest of security so they look like their doing something.

Plenty of people have suffered worse with airport security of late. Especially the disabled.

I think Kimberly's closest to the mark - this unnecessary bureaucratic stupidity affects other people just as much, if not more, than trans people?

But then, if we're going to reduce the effects of global warming, we need to cut down on folk flying long distances, in large volumes? Do you think that's part of the reason?

(No, me neither. )

Is to fasten the yoke of tyranny more firmly about the necks of the American people.
If I were a foreigner I would travel elsewhere.

*wonders* Have you ever tried getting into the USA on a non-US passport....

It's always been this way.

[sandra-leigh]

*wonders* Have you ever tried getting into the USA on a non-US passport....

It's always been this way.

I've been to the USA a fair number of times. Most of those times the ID required was minimal and informal, and about the only question asked was "business or pleasure?" and maybe "are you bringing any food in?".

But about a decade ago (before "9/11") they started to make it somewhat unpleasant to cross. If you look at who in the USA is pushing for stricter border controls, you will find that amongst those pushing the hardest now and back then are the North Dakota senators, one of whom has called for blocking Canadians out completely -- a senator from a sparsely populated state without much infrastructure to damage. Why? Economics: adjacent Manitoba (Canada) diversified and increased its economy when North Dakota did not. And thus it has been for centuries: rather than admit that one's decisions were not optimal, claim that the foreigners cheated and are a threat to the physical security and are probably really there to spy and steal "our way of life", yadda yadda yadda.

[Fab Karen]

Things will change, as we are seing with this election. After January, things will begin to get better. There will be no mooseheads in the Oval Office.