Airports

Three quarters of Americans are using ‘unsanctioned’ IDs at airports, says report

Source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

A large number of Americans are using unsanctioned IDs to pass through airport security and board flights, according to survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by Wakefield Research for Acuant, a global provider of identity verification solutions.

Despite current security measures, 60 percent of Americans who have ever been to an airport report they have boarded a plane without proper identification.

More than half (51 percent) passed through security using some form of ID that doesn’t include a picture at all.

The top four forms of unsanctioned IDs reported by air travelers are:

  • Government-issued, non-photo form of ID, such as a Social Security Card (27 percent)
  • Credit card (23 percent)
  • Photo of an ID on their phone (18 percent)
  • Public document, like a marriage license (13 percent)

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) offers alternative ways to identify travelers without proper identification, which may slow down the security lines and cause delays.

A push forward with implementing bio-metric technology at more airports has been advocated to ensure proper document inspections are made at airports and to bolster existing security.

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