TSA wants to know what! You know a woman never reveals her age. Have they no shame?
It’s hard to remember that not that many years ago, getting on a plane was a comparatively easy process. Yes, you went through a metal detector, but you could travel with a bottle of wine, bring shampoo in any size you wanted, and keep your shoes on.
Going back a little further, for domestic travel, identification was optional. Resulting as most travel agents remember, in a lot of “Mr. and Mrs.” tickets being issued, even when “Mrs.” may not have been quite the right description of the travel companion. (Although the most frequent use of another’s tickets was probably by companies swapping attendees at meetings and conventions.)
In any case, we’ve all gotten used to increasing invasions of privacy in the name of security. And now it’s time for one more- giving the airline agent, travel arranger or travel agent your true age.
Yes, the TSA agent who checks identification already sees your driver’s license. But, that’s not quite the same thing as sharing the facts with someone you know.
Southwest Airlines has already started requiring date of birth for any booking made or paid by phone. (For now, travel agents can get around this by booking and entering credit card information in the reservation computer.) This is all part of “Secure Flight,” the latest TSA antiterrorist offensive, which is supposed to be standard by November 2010.
Many airlines are already collecting the information at check-in. I admit that somehow it seems a little less intrusive to give the information to a check-in kiosk than to a human.
Other than slight embarrassment, the part of this rule fraught with danger, from a travel agent perspective, is that it is one more set of numbers to get wrong.
Travel arrangers often book flights for job candidates or people arriving for a meeting, and it’s one more detail of information to chase down. For another thing, in a world full of typos, dates are the easiest things to get wrong.
Besides the simple transposing or misreading of numbers, many parts of the world give birth dates with the day of the month first, not the month. An easy thing to catch if your birthday is the 20th of March, since 20-3 can only be one thing, but for say, birthdays on the 10th of June, 10-6 could also be October 6.
A mistaken birthday on the TSA form is a real problem. Then there is the potential embarrassment travel agents face simply asking the question. (It took me years when I first started in this business not to feel awkward asking an older married couple – one bed or two?)
The time of honest ages for those who travel has arrived. British Airways sent an announcement to travel agents that starting July 1, agents will need to submit date of birth, along with gender and name as on passport, when making reservations.
At the beginning, there will be some flexibility, for bookings made well in advance, British Airways will allow travel agents to enter the information up to 72 hours prior to travel. For bookings made within 72 hours of departure, the information must be entered immediately. If the information is not entered, they say the passenger will not be able to travel.
For now, except for Southwest Airlines, U.S. domestic airlines do not have such a requirement, but no doubt it is coming.
And other than vanity, and yes, I know several women who graduated college within a year or two of when I did who publicly claim to be 5-10 years younger, this latest age requirement does have the potential to cause a number of serious travel hassles.
No doubt kinks in the system will get worked out over time. But given the history of TSA changes, there will be more than a few issues. And while airlines are starting to say you will not be able to board without giving your age, what happens if you give it incorrectly?
It could be worse, however. At least, for now, TSA isn’t asking for your weight.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
