Explanation - of a sort.

I've been researching this business of passports being required on internal UK flights (see last Monday's post) - and perhaps I should have done this before originally posting, but there you go. I was relieved to find that there is absolutely no legal requirement to provide identification on internal flights, but it seems certain airlines - notably the cheap carriers - do require you to prove you are who you say you are, and it is a matter for them as to what proof they are willing to accept. Many will be satisfied with any form of photo ID, but some will only accept a passport. And the reason for all this it appears is nothing to do with security as you might think, but is purely a commercial matter. Because their fares are so low, they see a danger that people could buy up lots of tickets, and then sell them on at a profit, so they feel the need to satisfy themselves that the person presenting the ticket is the person who purchased it. This does of course mean that if you're not a passport holder, you need to check before buying a ticket from a low-cost carrier that you will in fact be allowed to board the plane.