My parents are flying out to Zion, Grand Canyon, Bryce this summer. Does my son need a picture ID to travel by air with them now?

It depends on his age. I belive under 18 no Id is needed, your best bet is to call the airline ahead since 9/11, everything is ifie.

You may need a notorized statement allowing your parents to take them out of state.

No, we travel all the time with our ten year old daugher. Children don't need any identification.

ParrotMom is correct! You'll want a statement like that in case of emergencies, anyway, like a hospital or other medical sitaution.
Your son will likely be pulled aside from the grandparents and be asked to name them and other personal things (like who does he live with, etc). That's happened twice with my little ones this year.

Is this a duplicate of the other thread from Nancy with the same question, or whah hoppen?

Wow, we've flown multiple times with our daughter since 9/11 and have never had her questioned in any way. Nor have they ever asked us for any ID for her. I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill.

NO PICTURE ID REQUIRED UNDER 18.
NOTARIZED LETTER allowing your children to travel with grandparents (state names of grandparents); date of travel and from X state to X state; parents' signatures. Be proactive and avoid hassles during their travel.

We've flown with both our girls (ages 3 & 6) at least twice a year for the since they were born and have never been asked for ID's. Neither of them have ever been pulled aside and questioned.

Not as mountain out of a mole hill. There is no problem when BOTH parents are travelling with their own children. However, when children are travelling with one parent or with people who are not their parents then there is the possibility of child abduction and there is a high probability that authorities will question the situation.

I just read last week on a tour operator
site that beginning next october 2004,
to com to US from Europa ALL TRAVELERS,
inclunding children need THEIR OWN
PASSPORT....
There was indication of 10 years of age
minimal...
I understand the need to a good verification to protect all the travelers, but as from 10 to 15 physic is in perpetual chnage and transformation, and the wish of
our childrens to change sometime their apparence, it seems to me a little
utopic and also dangerous because no
security at all...
I preferr the need to have children till 15 ON THE PARENTS PASSEPORTS when they travel with them...
In case of children travelling alone, passeport and authorisation are necessary...
Erik

I'm assuming the original topic was about domestic air travel within the USA. In that case, TSA requirements are for all passengers 18 and over to have gov't issued photo-ID. (Unless you inclined to test the constitutionality of the whole gov't ID for internal US travel, which some people have done).

For international travel, a passport is required for all passengers. Most countries are now requiring this for children now as well and are recommending that all new passports have children separately and not with one of the parents even if the issuing country permits this.