# Another in a seemingly endless series of questions on plane tickets
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-in-a-seemingly-endless-series-of-questions-on-plane-tickets/40796
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 11, 2000, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-in-a-seemingly-endless-series-of-questions-on-plane-tickets/40796 "2000-11-11T16:41:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2000, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-in-a-seemingly-endless-series-of-questions-on-plane-tickets/40796/1 "2000-11-11T16:41:35Z")
On the eve of your departure for sunny Australia, your mother dies. Setting aside travel insurance and full/partial/non-reimbursement issues, why can’t you sell your $2000 ticket either full-price or with a discount (or even give it away) to a member of your family, or even to a perfect stranger, as long as you’re not ‘scalping’? In other words, why isn’t your plane ticket transferable?
---
### Author:  [@Suo\_Na](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suo_Na)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2000, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-in-a-seemingly-endless-series-of-questions-on-plane-tickets/40796/2 "2000-11-11T19:27:45Z")
Because the name on the ticket has to match the name on the passport? Makes sense if you’re trying to avoid terrorism.
---
### Author:  [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2000, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-in-a-seemingly-endless-series-of-questions-on-plane-tickets/40796/3 "2000-11-11T20:13:15Z")
Simply speaking, two reasons:
1. Tickets are named due to security reasons. Of course, nothing stops someone feom just walking up to the counter and buying one - all you need is money and a photo ID.
2. Even if there were no security reasons, the airlines still want you to buy a new ticket, or jump through hoops to get your reimbursement (or partial reimbursement) back.
---
### Author:  [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2000, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-in-a-seemingly-endless-series-of-questions-on-plane-tickets/40796/4 "2000-11-11T21:32:05Z")
Suo: The passport argument would make sense on an international flight. Domestics are a different matter, for all I know. As far as security is concerned, anyone with money CAN indeed purchase a ticket, so it would be a limited form of protection.
And it’s been ages since I last traveled on a train but IIRC this rule doesn’t apply.
---
### Author:  [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2000, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-in-a-seemingly-endless-series-of-questions-on-plane-tickets/40796/5 "2000-11-11T21:42:16Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by omni-not \*
> \*\*And it’s been ages since I last traveled on a train but IIRC this rule doesn’t apply. \*\*
It did on the Eurostar, but that was only because it went through the Chunnel. The train I look from Paris to Le Havre recently did not have named tickets.