Well, according to the Transportation Security Administration, everything. In an attempt to make sure that you are, indeed, who you claim to be. In a fantastic New York Times article, the new program is explained.
Essentially, whatever name is on your official, government-issued I.D. will have to be on your travel documents. While this does not matter for many, there are those of us for whom it this matters. As The NY Times points out, most airline ticketing programs do not comprehend hyphens.
Our family as two issues. For all of the Allen Grady’s, our last name is confusing to the uninitiated. It’s a two word last name. Another way of looking at is we have a hyphenated last name but without the hyphen. As a matter of fact, one of the few good things about Ian Duncan Smith being the opposition leader in British Parliament was I could use him as an example for how our family’s name worked.
But a second issue kicks in for me. In the state of Georgia, where we live, the Driver’s License does not have enough space in it’s computer program to input my full name, Howard Davidson Allen Grady (that’s first name Howard, middle name Davidson, last name Allen Grady). Since my family went with not one but two name traditions popular in the southern US: both me going by my middle name as well as going by a diminutive of my middle name, the State of Georgia decided it was best that my driver license appears with my first initial and my middle name as it appears on my birth certificate.
Tie this pile of confusion in with reality that many people do not readily recognize the convention that Georgia uses of putting Last Name first, follow by a hyphen and then any given names and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to fly again. Or maybe I ought to walk around with my passport all the time.
Hopefully, there will be enough grace period for the airlines, TSA, and to get all the kinks worked out. If not, I might be one to change my mind about national I.D.
What’s in a Name
Essentially, whatever name is on your official, government-issued I.D. will have to be on your travel documents. While this does not matter for many, there are those of us for whom it this matters. As The NY Times points out, most airline ticketing programs do not comprehend hyphens.
Our family as two issues. For all of the Allen Grady’s, our last name is confusing to the uninitiated. It’s a two word last name. Another way of looking at is we have a hyphenated last name but without the hyphen. As a matter of fact, one of the few good things about Ian Duncan Smith being the opposition leader in British Parliament was I could use him as an example for how our family’s name worked.
But a second issue kicks in for me. In the state of Georgia, where we live, the Driver’s License does not have enough space in it’s computer program to input my full name, Howard Davidson Allen Grady (that’s first name Howard, middle name Davidson, last name Allen Grady). Since my family went with not one but two name traditions popular in the southern US: both me going by my middle name as well as going by a diminutive of my middle name, the State of Georgia decided it was best that my driver license appears with my first initial and my middle name as it appears on my birth certificate.
Tie this pile of confusion in with reality that many people do not readily recognize the convention that Georgia uses of putting Last Name first, follow by a hyphen and then any given names and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to fly again. Or maybe I ought to walk around with my passport all the time.
Hopefully, there will be enough grace period for the airlines, TSA, and to get all the kinks worked out. If not, I might be one to change my mind about national I.D.