Why a name on the ticket ?

[airazurxtror]

At least when flying to the Schengen area, nobody asks you any identity paper.
At Brussels, for instance, if you do the check-in at home, you pass to the departure area by just scanning your code, and that's all : you aren't asked to prove your identity not even at the gate. It' the same at other European airports.
You could thus quite easily take a flight with another person's ticket.
Thus, why still put a name on the Schengen tickets ?
Why not nameless tickets like on the trains, for instance ?

[sean1982]

Depends on the airline, FR always checks identity for security reasons! I didn't even know you could board a plane without showing your ID in BRU? Aren't they supposed to check it at the gate?

[Squelsh]

Doesn't the federal gov check this before you enter the tax-free zone? Ticket and ID have to be produced before leaving Belgian soil, I thought.
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Like when you have kids they tend to get pickier.

[cnc]

this is new to me too.
when you are denied on your destination airport the airline has to pay 3700 euro so i doubt there's any airline allowing pax on board without checking for legit id papers first.

[Air Key West]

If you don't know the Schengen Area and what it means, please check this link :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

In theroy there are no cross border ID or passport controls if you travel inside the Schengen area. You still have to carry a legitimite ID or passport, however, in cas there is a control.

This is why you can, for instance, travel on Lufthansa from FRA to BRU without the airline checking you id (as long as you do the check-in yourself ; if you check-in luggage, at check in counters you will be asked to produce an id as a means to find your electronic ticket). As far as I know, airlines are free to check your id or not as long as you travel inside the Schengen Area). The Schengen Area is not identical to the European Union (the UK is not in "Schengen" for instance).

[sn26567]

For as far as I know, SN is still controlling your ID when you board a plane to a Schengen destination.

[earthman]

If I remember correctly, both at AMS and at WAW they ask for an ID when actually boarding the plane. However, also if I remember correctly, they do not ask for an ID when passing security, only the boarding pass.

[Squelsh]

In theroy there are no cross border ID or passport controls if you travel inside the Schengen area. You still have to carry a legitimite ID or passport, however, in cas there is a control.

Let's keep it in practice. Do you pass an ID check by FEDPOL when entering the so-called tax-free area, even for a shengen flight? Boarding pass and ID.
Probably to prevent you from entering this restricted area without being a passenger, but an ID/boardpass check is an ID check and has nothing to do with free circulation of goods and persons per se.
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I don't understand why some carriers have a policy of not checking boarding pass and the ID when boarding procedure begins. I thought one of the aims was a correct manifest. I'm more of a cargo-guy but I find this weird and doesnt montréal, warsaw or chicago con's have any rules for this?

[Yaroslav]

Nobody checks your boarding pass AND passport/ID anymore when you are entering the A terminal in Brussels. The machine just has to read the barcode on your BP. Now at the check-in counter, you'll always need to show your ID, same thing for the boarding. Exceptions are SK/KF and MA (for AVP, can't speak for FC or SN).

[Air Key West]

Dear Squelsh,

Let's take BRU as an example. In practice (and the practice is dictated by the theory in the law books) if you travel to a non Schengen country, for instance, the UK or the USA, you leave from Terminal B. You must go through passport control before entering Terminal B because you are leaving the Schengen area and as far as tax free shopping is concerned, nobody will check your id again if you buy tax free goods. All shops ask for your boarding pass, not your id.

If you travel to a Schengen destination, you will leave from Terminal A. No ID checks anymore when entering Terminal A. Remember that Schengen and the EU are not the same. You may leave from Terminal A without ID check to a Schengen country which is not a member of the EU (for instance, Norway or Switzerland). Staying inside the Schengen area, but leaving for a non EU destination (Oslo, Geneva or Zurich for instance) you are entitled to buy duty free (without ID check). If I remember well, the shops in Terminal A, for instance for the sale of tobacco and alcohol, show two prices : one for travel inside the EU (you pay what is now called a Travel Value Price of more or less the "norma") and one price for travel outside the EU (duty free).

And no, you don't pass an "ID check by FEDPOL when entering the tax free area, even for a Schengen flight", because there is no exclusively tax free area inside the Schengen Terminal and there are no ID checks to access the Schengen Terminal (Terminal A), although you may buy duty free goods inside this terminal if yo travel outside the EU.

Unlike what you write, the ID checks have everything to do with the free circulation of persons and have nothing to do with preventing "non pax" entering duty free areas. The ID checks made when you leave from Terminal B are made because you are leaving an area with free circulation of persons (Schengen area) for an area where there is no free circulation of persons. The boarding card checks made to access Terminal A are made to prevent non pax from entering the Terminal. Also remember that you will not be able to make a duty free purchase if you don't hold a valid boarding card to a destination outside the EU, be it in Terminal A or Terminal B.

You tell us you are "more a cargo-guy", so you're forgiven for mixing up a few things when it comes to dealing with pax (although an increasing number of airlines are tending to treat their pax nearly as if they were cargo, squeezing as many pax as possible into the aircraft).

I agree that it would make sense to check the ID of pax at the gate before boarding in order to make sure that there is a totally accurate list of passengers (useful if there is an accident).

[airazurxtror]

If you travel to a Schengen destination, you will leave from Terminal A. No ID checks anymore when entering Terminal A. Remember that Schengen and the EU are not the same. You may leave from Terminal A without ID check to a Schengen country which is not a member of the EU (for instance, Norway or Switzerland).

I agree that it would make sense to check the ID of pax at the gate before boarding in order to make sure that there is a totally accurate list of passengers (useful if there is an accident).

You can take a flight in terminal A even if you have forgotten your ID (or have had it stolen !) - and Mr X can take a flight with Mr Y's ticket.
Thus my question stands : why still put a name on the ticket ?

[Air Key West]

No, Mr X cannot (automatically) take a flight with Mr Y's ticket. With a number of airlines, Mr X can take a flight if he has Mr Y's boardind card and if he's traveling inside the Schengen Area. Remember that you are not authorised to travel without a legal identification document, also within the Schengen Area. If cross-border checks have been abolished, you will still always have to be able to show your id, if an immigration or law enforcement agent asks for your id, which he is allowed to do if a situation occurs that would justify such a control.
To answer your question : indeed, one could travel without one's name on an air ticket if traveling inside Schengen, however, there may be reasons for it which you and I don't know. I could imagine that airlines still want a passenger list (even if they have no guarantee that it is 100 % accurate).
Furthermore, if you buy a ticket on the internet (for instance on the airline's web site), you will be identified through the means of payment your are using (usually a bank or credit card).
If you buy an international train ticket on the internet, your name will also be printed on the ticket.
At first sight, indeed there does not seem to be a need to still have a name on a ticket and on a boarding card, for travel inside the Schengen Area. But there must be one or even several reasons for it .
If anyone cares to contribute...

[airazurxtror]

No, Mr X cannot (automatically) take a flight with Mr Y's ticket. With a number of airlines, Mr X can take a flight if he has Mr Y's boardind card and if he's traveling inside the Schengen Area. Remember that you are not authorised to travel without a legal identification document, also within the Schengen Area. If cross-border checks have been abolished, you will still always have to be able to show your id, if an immigration or law enforcement agent asks for your id, which he is allowed to do if a situation occurs that would justify such a control.

I understand it well.
But if MrX has bought, say, a blight ticket on SN and is unable to take the flight he has booked : he can get no refund, and no change of date without paying a heavy fee.
But he can give his ticket and his boarding pass to MrY, or even sell his ticket to MrY - why not ?
MrY carries his own identification document and can show it if requested by any law enforcement agent.
Can this agent demand that the name of the ID matches the name on the ticket ? I doubt it - that is none of his business, and there is no law against it, as far as I know.
(Ryanair has seen the bug and you won't board the flight if your ID does not match the name on the ticket. But i am not speaking of FR, who doesn't land at BRU anyway).

[cnc]

well to name a few
-fixed and booked seatings/class/other specials like WCHC, INF, etc etc
-easy way for crew to identify pax during boarding
-easy way for gate agent to find out who's still missing during boarding

[Squelsh]

Dear Squelsh,
If you travel to a Schengen destination, you will leave from Terminal A. No ID checks anymore when entering Terminal A.

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It's been some time since I travelled shengen from BRU -or any airport-, and yes went thru the FEDPOL checkpoint. Just asking the question btw.. Was amazed to see access to this area has been shrivled to a simple bar scan.
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(..) so you're forgiven for mixing up a few things when it comes to dealing with pax

By your grace your highness

[SN_fan]

I understand it well.
But if MrX has bought, say, a blight ticket on SN and is unable to take the flight he has booked : he can get no refund, and no change of date without paying a heavy fee.
But he can give his ticket and his boarding pass to MrY, or even sell his ticket to MrY - why not ?
MrY carries his own identification document and can show it if requested by any law enforcement agent.
Can this agent demand that the name of the ID matches the name on the ticket ? I doubt it - that is none of his business, and there is no law against it, as far as I know.
(Ryanair has seen the bug and you won't board the flight if your ID does not match the name on the ticket. But i am not speaking of FR, who doesn't land at BRU anyway).

No, the airline made a contract with MrX and probably has some conditions in it stating that it can only be used by MrX. SO checking ID inside Shengen is just a business practice to make sure the person presenting the boarding pass is the person with which the airline has a contract it has nothing to do with immigration laws. ( Except in the case of a random check).

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It's been some time since I travelled shengen from BRU -or any airport-, and yes went thru the FEDPOL checkpoint. Just asking the question btw.. Was amazed to see access to this area has been shrivled to a simple bar scan.
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the checkpoint when entering the A pier, is NOT manned by FEDPOL. It's airport security who checks the boarding passes, only to limit access to the pier so that only passengers can enter.

[Squelsh]

So it's not a simple barcode scan. Only somebody that looks at the ticket?
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Didn't Airport security personelgo through FEDPOL police school?

[airazurxtror]

So it's not a simple barcode scan. Only somebody that looks at the ticket?

It's only a simple barcode scan.
There is a member of the security personel on stand by there in case somebody has a problem.

[earthman]

There's a difference between the passport control, where your id/data is actually checked in a computer (the Schengen information system, other systems maybe as well), and the Schengen ID-check, where someone simply confirms that you are the person on the ID and the ticket/boarding pass has been issued to you, with no further checks.

Also, note that the free movement of people does not apply to just anybody who is allowed to be in one specific Schengen-country. There are cases when a non-EU-national is allowed to stay in one Schengen country, where he's more or less a permanent resident, but is not allowed free movement to other Schengen countries. This seems to be the case for example when someone is awaiting a residence permit but their initial entry visa has expired.

Back to the names on the tickets: aren't most tickets non-transferable? The ticket is a contract between you and the airline, and one of the stipulations is that it only applies to you, not to someone else who happens to get hold of it. I don't think I've hever had a ticket that was transferable, not without an additional fee anyway.

[Squelsh]

It's only a simple barcode scan.
There is a member of the security personel on stand by there in case somebody has a problem.

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Ok thank you for clearing that out. By problem i recon you mean technical difficulties? (must be a field day for this guy when Lourdes is on the boards)
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Problem is next reply I find:
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(..) and the Schengen ID-check, where someone <u>simply confirms that you are the person on the ID and the ticket/boarding pass has been issued to you,</u> with no further checks.

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I'm going to assume it's only a machine that checks if a person has a piece of paper with a barcode on it. NO cross-reference check for ID.
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Now next step is the boarding counter.
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If indeed some airlines have a policy of not doing reference checks at the boarding procedure to see if what they are loading on board actually is what they think it is.. This makes great stuff for spy-movies and Aspe books with colorful alibis.