TSA: What are they for?

As consultants, we fly around a lot. After a while, one gets pretty good at judging transit times, dealing with fly cancellations and delays, and the inevitable TSA security screening. But, on one recent trip, I suddenly wondered what one specific procedure, the inspection of your boarding pass with an ID was for. What was the purpose of determining who you are and whether you are flying?

Now, several obvious answers pop up into mind. TSA is trying to determine if you are the same person as the person who bought the airline ticket. TSA is trying to prevent unauthorized entry into the boarding area. ID check is a first step of security by TSA to determine suspicious people.

But there are several flaws in this thinking. First, why would it matter if your ID matched your boarding pass? If I am not carrying any explosives or dangerous materials, why block my entry? Perhaps I want to wait inside the terminal and surprise my girlfriend when she arrives? Isn't the whole metal detector, explosive air puffer, and x-ray suppose to stop me from carrying dangerous materials? If TSA is concerned about people entering the terminal and using their physical bodies to create harm, that would mean that everyone is a potential threat. I could always use my fists.

The second argument is that TSA is trying to prevent unauthorized entry. Well, how would TSA actually know if I'm authorized or not? If you have ever printed a boarding pass at home, you know that it is very easy to duplicate a boarding pass. Heck, a PhD student event wrote a php script to generate duplicate NWA boarding passes. Besides, wouldn't actual terrorists just buy an airline ticket anyways?

Finally, ID check is a first way to determine if the person is suspicious. Now, this an area that I do find at least an acceptable answer. I would assume that a person carrying some bomb meeting a TSA officer where he has to hand over his boarding pass and ID would be a little nervous. But, then again, most TSA people barely glance at the ID and boarding pass. No questions are asked. In addition, I've noticed different airports perform the same inspection differently. Some use an ultraviolet light to check the authenticity of the ID (i.e. state driver license) while others just glance to check the name on the boarding pass matches the ID.

Perhaps TSA could save tax payers some money by removing this useless step in the security process and put the money into better training and more staff for the actual screeners.

Don't thinks security is bad? Take at look at this PBS documentary.

Oh, if you have other reasons that you think TSA does the ID check, please let me know.