People who buy tickets on the day of travel, are put through extra security. Their boarding passes will have "SSSS" printed at the top, which is a sign to TSA. Yes, the airlines do, in a sense, check names. If any name on a ticket matches, or resembles a name on the "TSA no fly list", it immediately throws up a flag when I check that person in. I then have to put all of that person information into the computer, and have them cleared for travel, etc.
You obviously do not work for an airline. If you did, you'd understand the BS that we have to go through, as agents, dealing with security stuff, that, even to me, doesn't make sense. This is, believe it, or not, one of the reasons that changing names on reservations that have been ticketed, are not allowed. They can be changed, if it isn't ticketed (paid for), but not once paid for. They computer system, at least for the airline I work for, will not allow it, and there is no way I can get around that.
For what it is worth. I just found out I am being laid off from my airline job, as well as the rest of the agents who work for the airline, at the airport I am at --- I am running far, far away. I too think the airlines are full of BS, half of the time, but there really is nothing I can do about it, as an agent. This is what I wish passengers understood, and didn't take it out on agents. Write a long letter to managemnt. That is my recommendation. If enough people do it, maybe they will realize things need to be changed. As it is, people complain, but continue to fly, time, after time again. And, it is a cycle. For example - you may not fly Continental again, because of this. BUT, there is somebody else out there experiencing this same issue with Delta, and so next time they will fly Continental, and you will end up flying Delta. The airlines never lose customers, they just shift around. Not to mention, I've seen passengers who claim they will never fly a specific airline again, and the next week, they are in line to check in, because we offered a fair half the price of the others. The only way for things to change, is for people to stop flying altogether.
Don't get me wrong. I think the airlines are full of BS, as much as you. I am not sticking up for them. I just wish more people understood who is truly to blame; management, and not the agents.
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