Third ID check
starts at airport

Passengers are now limited
to just 1 carry-on bag

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By Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com

Passengers now face three identification checks before boarding a flight at the Honolulu Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday sent out a new directive to airlines requiring customer service agents to check passengers' identification cards along with their boarding pass at the boarding gate.

An ID check will be administered for all passengers, said Tweet Coleman, Pacific representative for the FAA. A picture ID together with the boarding pass will be checked by an agent before boarding their designated flight, she said.

Passengers' ID cards are also checked at the ticket counter and the security gate.

Though the new directive was implemented in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent U.S.-led strikes against Afghanistan, Coleman said it is not related to the events.

"This was a long time coming," she said. "It's just a coincidence."

Hawaiian Airlines adopted the new policy yesterday, said spokesman Keoni Wagner. Aloha Airlines spokesman Stu Glauberman said agents plan to start ID checks at the boarding gate Thursday.

The FAA is also limiting passengers to one carry-on bag and a pocketbook or briefcase per flight.

Furthermore, random security checks on passengers will be done at the boarding gate by customer service agents, she said.