The
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has published
the Final Rule for the new Secure Flight passenger-screening
program.
The stated intent of this program is to streamline and simplify
the watch list matching process in a way that minimizes false
matches and protects passengers' personally-identifiable information.
Under Secure Flight, airlines will receive passenger information
either directly or from travel agents and transmit that information
to TSA for watch-list comparison. Following this screening,
TSA will then electronically notify the airlines whether each
passenger may receive a boarding pass. The Secure Flight Program
will be phased-in in several stages over the coming year.
Selected airlines have volunteered to implement the program
beginning in mid-January, 2009. Other domestic carriers will
be required to participate, beginning in May and June, with
international carriers joining in late 2009. Under Secure
Flight, the following data must be collected for transmission
to the airlines, which will, in turn, transmit the passenger
data to TSA for pre-flight screening. Other available information
will also be collected, including a passenger's "Redress
Number" (a TSA-issued code given to certain passengers
whose names have triggered "false positive" matches
to watch lists in the past); and passport type, number, and
country of issuance.
1. Last Name
The passenger's last name must be collected. The name should
match the government-issued identification the passenger intends
to present at the airport prior to boarding.
NOTE: the government-issued ID is the controlling document;
in all cases of doubt about the key information to collect,
refer to the ID that will be used at the airport. If the collected
information matches exactly that document, the passenger should
be cleared to receive a boarding pass.
2. First Name
The passenger's first name must be collected. If the passenger's
first name appears as a single character (e.g., "F. recorded
as "F").
3. Middle Name
Mandatory if available. If the passenger does not have a middle
name, or if the passenger's government-issued ID does not
include a middle name, this field may be left blank.
4. Date of Birth
5. Gender
TSA will accept only a single-character response of M or F.
*Please note that Universal Travel will start to request this
personal data from all passengers beginning in 2009 to update
profiles for submission to the airlines, and that passengers
who decline to provide this information in advance of their
travel plans will face-at a minimum-additional screening and
delays at the airport, likely to include being denied boarding.
