How do you know if you are on the "do not fly" list? I have not flown since, you know...

[Neshanic]

[TZ]

1. No way to know until you get there

My Uncle is on a watch list (probably because he has a name thats common) and he didn't realize it until he was pulled aside at the airport. This is supposed to be "secret" remember.......

[littlebit]

2. You don't

until you show up to the airport.

[Neshanic]

3. Wow...Thanks.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Last I heard Greens had trouble at airports. I guess we're considered a subversive organization

[siligut]

5. Good luck.

Since you are going to the god-forsaken airport, I will share what I know. Look like you are playing by the rules. I actually overheard a security gate person telling a noobie to “Target the ones who look like they don’t want to obey the rules”, she actually said this, the mentality of those people deserves mention in the DSM.

[Aristus]

6. I've flown 12 or 13 times since September 11th, 2001.

Haven't had any problems.

I'm a white male with an Anglo-French name. Now, if I were dark-skinned, with an Arabic name, they'd be all over me. In keeping, of course, with the harrassment and intimidation of people who had nothing to do with 9/11...

[pitohui]

7. you'll find out at the airport

just leave time to clear security, it adds about an extra hour for the extra security stuff

it does not mean you literally cannot fly, it means it takes more time and hassle to fly

[Dangerously Amused]

10. That's not correct; sometimes it *does* mean you literally cannot fly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Fly_List

[pitohui]

12. ok but i'm talking from personal experience, not from wiki

there are millions of people named such names as ed kennedy, charles nelson, and so on, and i frequently travel with one of them

trust me they do not tell millions of people named "charles nelson" they can't fly at all, because a bad guy once used the alias of "charles nelson," they just check you out to be sure that you're not THAT charles nelson and then you're good to go

don't get me wrong, it takes time and hassle, and it is better not to be on the list, but they pretty much know right away that they have the wrong guy, it just seems to take a long time to go through the process and clear the name on the computer

if the OP is actually a terrorist and had a reason to think her name is on the list because of actual bad deeds that she herself committed, okay, my advice is probably not relevant to what's going to happen to her at the airport

but chances are...she would not need to post the question if she were an actual evildoer and what i'm suggesting will happen (if she's on the list at all) is the most likely thing to happen

if her name is on the list, it's almost certainly because it's a name she shares with many other people and they're used to dealing with it

[dembotoz]

8. nobody wants to be on the list.....but

if I did find myself on the list, it would be like Damn!
I must be doing something pretty good!!!

[Kutjara]

9. I'm not on the "do not fly list," but I am...

...on the "fuck around endlessly with his paspport at the immigration desk by typing reams of data into the PC and staring at it for ages before looking at him in a suspicious manner and grudgingly letting him through" list.

[pitohui]

13. we're all on that list

the other day the computer screen was turned so i could see it so i kind of tried to peek and see what it said, but nothing interesting, just looked like a copy of my passport on the screen

what IS all that typing about anyway?

maybe the dude is IMing his g/f or something on the job and we just think it's about us :shrug:

[Connonym]

11. I've wondered that myself

I don't think I've taken a flight in about 5 years and in that time I've become a lot more vocal and involved in politics not to mention a lot more angry in the things I say on internet forums and in emails. At one time I would have felt it was paranoid to worry about such things but so much ugly stuff has crawled out from under the rock of this administration that I honestly wouldn't put anything past them. I actually feel somewhat defiant about it and hope that if they do listen in or read my emails that they at least get to enjoy the dirtier ones.

Bill Maher's theory is that they look for keywords to come up in emails and phone monitoring because certainly the real terrorists are dumb enough to not use some sort of code words. Scary in its absurdity.