Transitivity on ordered pairs of lines in finite linear spaces (Q760661)

The finite non-trivial linear spaces (equivalently here: the 2-(v,k,1) designs with \(k<v)\) having an automorphism group which is transitive both on the ordered pairs of intersecting lines and on the ordered pairs of disjoint lines are proved to be the Desarguesian affine planes, the Desarguesian projective spaces of dimension at least 2 and the linear spaces with at least 3 points in which the lines are the pairs of points. The proof relies on the classification by \textit{W. Kantor} of all finite linear spaces having an automorphism group which acts 2-transitively on the points [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 38, 66-74 (1985)].