Passenger Shares How He Managed to Board Flight With No ID

Many passengers will face an anxious rush to get to the airport on time, finding themselves triple-checking their bags to make sure that their phone, wallet, and all-important passport are all inside.

Unfortunately, Connor Esraelian was scrambling to make it to San Francisco International Airport to catch a flight back home to Chicago, Illinois. In all the chaos to arrive on time, he didn't do those last-minute checks until he'd already arrived at the airport, at which point it was too late.

Esraelian hadn't noticed that he didn't have his wallet with him, leaving him without any form of ID. He told Newsweek that, by the time he realized the mistake, he "didn't have enough time to go back."

"This was a genuine mistake in my rush to the airport, I simply forgot it," Esraelian said. "I decided to just see what happens if I tried boarding the plane with no identification."

After approaching the airport staff to explain his predicament, Esraelian spent 75 minutes answering questions about his life to prove his identity, and then having his luggage checked over in great detail. He likened the strange experience to "having to pass a school test that's all about your life."

While he was going through the unexpected ordeal, Esraelian filmed his experience and shared it on TikTok (@connorandthejets). The post quickly went viral and generated more than 4.9 million views and over 276,000 likes.

Esraelian added: "When I went to present my boarding pass, I told them the situation. They told me to wait for an airport-security agent to personally assist me. Once they arrived, the agent called a government hotline.

"Somehow, the person on the line knows everything about you," Esraelian said. "It's a bit creepy. I have no idea how they know so much. They asked me to name a few of my previous addresses, a notable landmark near my current home, and what year my father was born. I even got my father's birth year wrong, and the person on the phone told me it was incorrect.

"If you pass the test, they do a very detailed check of all your luggage, and finally they will let you onto your flight. The whole experience was a nightmare. Let me be a lesson to others: please bring your ID to the airport," Esraelian added.

The various forms of ID that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) accepts include a driver's license, passport, permanent resident card, U.S. Department of Defense ID, a foreign government passport, or a Veteran Health Identification Card. But the TSA adds that there may be times when you can still fly without any of the aforementioned ID.

The TSA website says that, if a passenger doesn't have any form of valid identification, they have to complete an identity verification process. Once the individual confirms their identity to the TSA officer, additional screening must then be done, which includes a thorough baggage check and a pat-down of the person.

For those who don't have any identification with them, the TSA recommends arriving at least two hours in advance of the flight because of how long the process can take.

Going through that debacle certainly wasn't how Esraelian hoped his journey would start, but he just about made it to his flight on time.

"I was having to keep a close eye on the time, and it took nearly 75 minutes from start to finish," Esraelian said. "It was incredibly close, and I had to sprint through the entire airport, but I made it with a few minutes left. I was the last person to board.

"The video has received way more attention than I ever imagined. So many people are stunned to hear that you can board an American flight with no identification," Esraelian added. "Also, people are very upset that I failed the test question about my dad's birth year. I knew the month and day, just not the year."

The viral post has already received thousands of comments from shocked and outraged people who were horrified by the ordeal.

One comment read: "wild you don't know your parents' full birthdays tbh [to be honest]."

Another person commented: "Left my wallet in an Uber once while on a trip, had to do exactly this, but luckily I passed my quiz."

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