Flying with NERT ID
One of the odd consequences of the NERT program is that I have, following the recent citywide drill, an attractive, genuine, government-issued photo ID card that, as far as I can remember, I did not have to provide any proof of identity to obtain.
I recently heard several more reports of reasons that the ID checking at airports doesn't accomplish its stated goals of stopping particular people from flying. For example, Boing Boing reported that a TV station made its own IDs that were accepted by airport screeners. Last week, I decided to try flying with my NERT ID to see what would happen; my NERT ID is more "valid" than the IDs the TV station had (although it looks much less like a driver license).
The screener at the Oakland airport looked at the NERT ID very skeptically for about a full minute; I had resolved not to volunteer any information about it until and unless she asked me a question. After reading all the text on both sides, and presumably noticing the reference to "San Francisco Fire Department" and "Office of Emergency Services", she let me through without asking anything.
The screener at the Tucson airport was more skeptical. She said "Can I see a driver's license or something? Because I don't know anything about this." I said "Well, it's a government-issued ID." The screener said "Is it issued by a state or Federal government?" I said "No, a local government -- the City and County of San Francisco." She didn't clarify whether she thought local government ID was or was not valid, but she continued to ask for a state-issued ID, so I showed her one.
That's the first time I've heard an airport screener refuse to accept an ID merely because he or she was unfamiliar with the kind of document presented!
