TRAVEL Q&A Flying with a grandchild Q We are taking our 7-year-old granddaughter on vacation to Denver this spring. We will be flying round-trip from Minneapolis. What do we need for identification for flying with a child?

A That depends. Typically, minors are not required to present identification for domestic travel, but according to the Federal Aviation Administration, each airline is allowed to implement its own identification requirements for minors, so be sure to call ahead.

You should be good on the ID front, but I'd suggest you bring your grandchild's medical insurance card. You might also want to carry a letter of consent signed by both parents giving you permission to travel with her, and a notarized letter authorizing you to handle her medical care.

Answers to travelers' questions appear in Travel weekly and every Monday at startribune.com/escapeartists; send your question by e-mail to travel@startibune.com.

JIM BUCHTA

Q&A UPDATE

More about identification Several weeks ago, we reported that a Minnesota ID card is an approved alternative to a driver's license, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Reader Mel Pittel, who owns Great Cruises Inc. in Edina, told us that a few of his clients have passed through airport security without an ID, though it slowed down their clearance. According to the TSA, "Passengers who do not or cannot present an acceptable ID will have to provide information to the Transportation Security Officer performing Travel Document Checking duties in order to verify their identity. Passengers who are cleared through this process may be subject to additional screening. Passengers whose identity cannot be verified by TSA may not be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint or onto an airplane."

KERRI WESTENBERG

AIRLINE UPDATE

Skies are far from green The blue skies are not green, concludes Green America, an environmental watchdog group that recently released the study "What Goes Up Must Come Down: The Sorry State of Recycling in the Airline Industry." According to the organization, passengers generate 880 million tons of waste annually, of which 75 percent could be recycled. Yet only 20 percent is being reused. No airline recycles all the major materials (aluminum cans, glass, plastic, paper) or offers a comprehensive program for minimizing onboard waste. On the plus side, some airlines are making substantial strides: Delta, for one, recycles aluminum cans, plastic bottles, plastic trays, beverage cups, newspapers and magazines on flights landing at many major U.S. airports. And three cheers for American Airlines flight attendants, who created an aluminum can recycling program that benefits charity. Of course, passengers can take action, too. If your carrier doesn't recycle (ask the flight attendants), deplane with the items and recycle them yourself.

WASHINGTON POST

ODDBALL OFFERING

Footloose in Amsterdam Cycling tours are popular throughout Europe, but running tours? That's what two members of a Dutch triathlon club had in mind when they formed "Tourist Run Amsterdam," a company that will launch running tours of the city starting next month. Licensed guides who are also seasoned runners will provide "running commentary" as they lead tourists on 5-mile jogs through the city to places where cyclists and bus tours can't go. Cost of the one-hour tours is 20 euros -- $27 at current exchange rates (www.touristrunamsterdam.com).

MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE

SIDEROADS

Hooting in Houston See live owls and meet Alice the Great Horned Owl during the annual Festival of Owls Friday through next Sunday at the Nature Center in Houston, Minn. At 8:15 p.m. Saturday, Marge Gibson, executive director of the Raptor Education Group in Antigo, Wis., will discuss her experiences working with the raptors for more than 30 years. The festival includes owl prowls, owl calling, owl photo sessions and a birding and natural history bus tour (1-507-896-4668; www.festivalofowls.com).

COLLEEN A. COLES