Airline passengers are to face tougher security measures on some British domestic flights in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, it emerged yesterday.
Low-cost airlines Go and easyJet are both insisting on photographic identification being produced before passengers can check-in. Ryanair has operated a similar policy since November last year, but BA and bmi said they believed their security procedures were already stringent enough. BA announced earlier this month that it was to add a £2.50 "security surcharge" on to the cost of all its international and domestic flights in the wake of September 11. The charge is to cover increased security and insurance costs and BA is one of 124 airlines worldwide to introduce the charge.
A spokesperson for easyJet said that the company was introducing compulsory photographic identification as the result of guidance from the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). However the DETR, while confirming that it maintains regular contact with airlines to advise them on security, denied it had issued any specific guidance on the issue.
EasyJet customers will be asked from now on to produce photographic identification, such as a passport or photographic driving licence, when boarding a plane, although the airline's policy does not become compulsory until the end of March next year. Go has been requesting the identification since the beginning of the month, and will refuse to take passengers without it from January 1 2002.
"In this period of increased security we feel that it is an appropriate policy to follow," a spokesperson said. "It is vital that airlines have correct passenger lists for all their flights. If an airline does not request photo ID, it could be possible for passengers to travel on other customers' bookings, leading the airline to have incorrect details of who is travelling."
A BA spokesperson said the airline had called for national ID cards to be introduced so it could insist on photographic identification, but said it would be difficult to enforce without a national scheme, while a spokesperson from bmi said the airline carried out two identity checks before boarding, but did not insist on photographic identification.
