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In all flights on commercial airlines I have done so far, associating a name with the ticket and showing an identification document at security and boarding has been mandatory, even if the flight is domestic and there are no border-crossing procedures involved.

In Europe, it is still possible to buy a long-distance train ticket anonymously and travel using it without any identity checks, depending on the country - Switzerland for instance. This type of ticket is transferable and no one knows the name of the traveler at the end.

Do any commercial flights exist that can be boarded anonymously in the same way?

DavGin
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There are no legally mandatory id checks on domestic and international flights within the Schengen area. Based on my experience:

  • Many conventional airlines do not check passenger ids and many airports are fully automated, so that you when flying don't interact with a human being before being greated by a steward in the airplane. You check-in online, drop your bag at a self-service bag drop and even at the gate you just scan your boarding pass and go through a turnstile.

  • Most no-frill airlines check the passenger id, but in their own interest, probably to prevent black-market sales of cheap and early bought tickets.

So even if there is a name on the ticket, there is no problem getting a ticket with a dummy name and then using it.

Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
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