what do you do if you need to get a 15 year somewhere via plane and he doesn't have a photo id?

I have read that under 18y/o doesnt require ID.

You can take the child to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles and get an identification card. Looks just like a D.L.

From http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?co...0005198004a900 passengers age 18 and older must show ID. But I would suggest getting a DMV photo id anyway. What would he do if he didn't have it and the security people simply didn't believe he was actually under 18?

They're very cheap to get - I'd guess under $20, but check with your local DMV to get details.

We had this dilemma for our teen flying internationally. AustinTraveler's suggestion is what we did until we finally got her a passport.

I've had to bring my daughter's photo ID for several years to fly, before she turned 15. That was for domestic US travel, too. Now I wonder if I needed to?

Does he have a school photo ID? Or passport?

Your best bet is to call the airline. We were in the same situation and after a call to United I was told that our teens wouldn't need a photo id since they were under 16 (it may have been 18 though). Or check the airlines website.

Does your teen look like a child - that is - 12 or 13 and obviously not 18? Then you may get away with it.

But 15 year old girls are usually indistinguishible from 18 year olds - and if boys have already hit the growth spurt the same is often true. How can the airline know the 15 year old isn't 18?

Play it safe - don;t risk your child being turned away - just get the picture ID (or passport if there's a chance of doing any international travel - even Canada/Mexico in the next couple of years).

Only need photo ID if over age 17. I have no idea how they know if a person is over age 17.

In many states, (Mass is one of them), Motor Vehicles will only issue photo IDs for those of legal driving age - that is over 15 in many states.

My 15 year old dtr has flown many times in US with me and has never been asked for ID. And she has a different last name than me. (She has a passport for international travel, we used to bring it with us for domestic travel but since they never asked, I just leave it home now).