What do PSAs check against the boarding pass and air manifest?

The primary responsibility of Passenger Service Agents (PSAs) during the boarding process is to verify identification against the boarding pass and the air manifest. PSAs check to ensure that the name on the identification matches the name on the boarding pass and that all necessary criteria for boarding are met according to airline and federal regulations. This is crucial for maintaining security and ensuring that each passenger who boards the aircraft is authorized to do so.

While other aspects like travel itineraries and luggage tags are important for the overall travel process, they do not serve the same critical security function as the verification of identification. Identification checks help prevent unauthorized boarding and contribute to overall passenger safety. Similarly, verifying a passenger's age may be relevant for specific policies but is not a standard check that all PSAs perform against a boarding pass and manifest.