yesthattom

It looks like that was originally written in the late 1990s (since the "have your bags been unattended" questions are pretty much long gone now), despite the 2006 date attached to it.

I always found it amazing how TWA 800 was used to bring on the ID requirement and get the Logan observation deck closed, myself.

Don't know why you would say that; I've still been asked about unattendance of bags every time I've flown.

Maybe it's because I've been doing mostly online or kiosk check-ins lately (though I seem to recall those questions being part of the process even on those at one point) but I seriously can't recall the last time I was asked either of them.

I was always tempted to say something like "yes, a man I've never met before took them away from me and put them in a locked compartment I had no access to. Also he looked and sounded foreign." That is after all an accurate description of most taxi rides to the airport....

About two years ago a friend of mine had his photo ID accidentally confiscated in Texas the day before we had to leave for California (long story). In any case, he had no way of getting it back before our plane was scheduled to leave. He showed up at the check in desk and basically said hi, I don't have an ID. How can I get on the plane? They marked his boarding pass for "special" screening which basically meant they opened his carry on and searched through it, gave him a pat down etc. Took maybe 5 minutes longer for him to get through than the rest of us.

Things may have changed in the last two years, but it sort of made me question some of Gilmore's claims at the time.