Travel annoyances

[klwilliams]

I suspected this for a while, and the counter person at Southwest confirmed it this weekend: my name is so common that it's been added to the "Do Not Fly" list in the section where the counter people have to personally check your ID before you get your boarding pass. So long electronic check in, welcome waiting in long, long lines.

Comments

[maryosmanski.livejournal.com]

I don't blame you for being pissed. I would be too.

[Better knock on wood. I don't travel by air often enough; I could be on such a list and not know it until I was trying to get to a family member's funeral two years from now.]

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

I'd be pissed, too!

Do you have a more exotic middle name that you could start using regularly? Or adopt one?

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

What cv Said. I understand John Lewis (aka Georgia congresscritter, and Civil Rights campaigner) changed his name on reservations to John R. Lewis to skip the hassles. And =Senator= Ted Kennedy was dinged to the no-fly list because there was a 'T. Kennedy' on that same list.

Not that I didn't need more proof that the Bush Admnistration is a bunch of scary idiots....

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't be so bad if any of the paranoia measures make SENSE. Common names put on watch lists? The bad folks can change their names just like the good folks can. That will sure stop them! Ooooh!

the counter people have to personally check your ID before you get your boarding pass. Hmm, I've been flying out of Boston, and I think electronic check-in for everyone is gone. But Boston was rather poker-up-the-bottom before this mess, and it's worse now.

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

Supposedly theyr'e doing this for all Smiths, Johnsons, Joneses, Williamses, etc. on a random basis, but I've been "carded" every time I've flown in the last six months (three trips).

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

My middle name is Lynn. There's a reason I tell everyone to call me Branwen. :-)

[galeni.livejournal.com]

Change your name a bit to get off the List? Initials or a variant on one of your names or something might work. Damned annoying, however.