# Flying: TSA & Texted Boarding Pass **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 19, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-tsa-texted-boarding-pass/722920 "2015-06-19T02:48:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-tsa-texted-boarding-pass/722920/1 "2015-06-19T02:48:00Z")
Ok, I am behind the times, so don’t laugh, but…how do you get through TSA with an electronic-only boarding pass on my iPhone? The first TSA guard always marks up your paper boarding pass. Can s/he scan my phone to recognize it is legit? How does this work? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-tsa-texted-boarding-pass/722920/2 "2015-06-19T03:17:55Z")
There is a barcode scanner at the TSA checkpoint. Plop your phone (displaying the barcode) upon the scanner and wait. The TSA officer will not write on your phone. Unless they skipped their coffee. Also check that your departure airport allows electronic boarding passes. Almost all of them do these days, but the last two times I went through MIA they didn’t for some reason. In that case you can get a paper boarding pass from the kiosk thingy. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-tsa-texted-boarding-pass/722920/3 "2015-06-19T03:19:40Z")
They have a scanner right there at the desk. It’s actually easier & faster, since they don’t have to eyeball your boarding pass to make sure it’s real. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-tsa-texted-boarding-pass/722920/4 "2015-06-19T11:46:52Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Also check that your departure airport allows electronic boarding passes. Almost all of them do these days, but the last two times I went through MIA they didn’t for some reason. In that case you can get a paper boarding pass from the kiosk thingy. Almost all MAJOR airports take them. But if you’re like me, and often travel to smaller airports, do yourself a favor, go oldschool, and print out a boarding pass. Most small airports do NOT have the equipment to take the electronic passes in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-tsa-texted-boarding-pass/722920/5 "2015-06-19T13:42:59Z")
Thanks, all! Obviously, I never gave this any thought before now. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-tsa-texted-boarding-pass/722920/6 "2015-06-19T13:50:55Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > They have a scanner right there at the desk. It’s actually easier & faster, since they don’t have to eyeball your boarding pass to make sure it’s real. It has not been my experience that a phone is faster than a paper boarding pass. If the traveler is on the ball and has everything ready handing the phone to the TSA agent can be as fast as paper. It used to be that about 80% of the time I saw significant time spent messing with the phone to get the bar code on the pass displayed but people now seem to have gotten the hang of things and only a smallish number of people have problems with their phone. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-tsa-texted-boarding-pass/722920/7 "2015-06-19T14:08:31Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Also check that your departure airport allows electronic boarding passes. Almost all of them do these days, but the last two times I went through MIA they didn’t for some reason. The reason is that Miami International is the worst airport in the Western Hemisphere. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-tsa-texted-boarding-pass/722920/8 "2015-06-19T14:24:06Z")
Worse than LaGuardia? Worse than O’Hare or Heefrow? Nah, MIA is right in the middle of the pack. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-tsa-texted-boarding-pass/722920/9 "2015-06-19T14:27:56Z")
A million times worse than LaGuardia, and I rather like Heathrow. Haven’t been to O’Hare, as far as I can recall, so can’t comment. But either way, the staff at those airports speak English.