Flying Without Photo I.D.
I got to DFW Airport on Sunday, only to discover that I didn't have my driver's license. (I'd apparently left it in my pocket when I flew home on the red eye from L.A. on Friday.) While I had a wallet full of credit cards, I had no "government-issued photo i.d." Since going home and back would make me miss my plane, I asked the American Airlines rep if I could get a later flight. No problem, he told me. You can take your original flight. You just have to go through extra security checks. Never have I been so glad to have my bags searched.
Coming home today from New York, I was a little more prepared. I still didn't have "government-issued i.d.," but at least I knew I was headed for trouble. I got to JFK several hours early. The young security guard wasn't sure what to do with me and asked a more senior guard. The elder guard sternly insisted that I must have a photo.
"This is a little weird," I said to the young guard, as I opened my bag and pulled out one of the extra paperbacks I'd snagged from my publisher. "I wrote this book, and here's my photo in it." He laughed and let me through. This time, they didn't even search my bags.