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Fresh security measures for US flights
Source: Agencies |
December 2, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ALL 197 airlines that fly to the United States are now collecting names, genders and birth dates of passengers so the government can check them against terror watch lists before they fly, the US government has announced.
Getting all air carriers that travel to or through the US to provide this information marks a milestone in the government's counterterrorism efforts and completes one of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.
The program, called Secure Flight, has been delayed for years because of privacy concerns and went through three versions before it was approved. It is designed to give US authorities more time to identify and remove suspected terrorists from flights and reduce instances when passengers are mistaken for people on terror lists.
Misidentification of passengers has been one of the biggest inconveniences in post-9/11 air travel, and known for putting many innocent travelers through extensive searching and questioning before they were allowed to fly.
Previously, airlines have been responsible for checking the passenger lists against terror watch lists. But the airlines did not have any information other than a name.
Now the screening is done by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The more information available about a passenger, the less likely they will be mistaken for someone on a watch list, TSA Administrator John Pistole said. When someone makes a reservation, that information goes to the Secure Flight database in seconds.
But Pistole said it's still too early to tell if there have been fewer instances of mistaken identities now that the new system is in place.
Getting all air carriers that travel to or through the US to provide this information marks a milestone in the government's counterterrorism efforts and completes one of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.
The program, called Secure Flight, has been delayed for years because of privacy concerns and went through three versions before it was approved. It is designed to give US authorities more time to identify and remove suspected terrorists from flights and reduce instances when passengers are mistaken for people on terror lists.
Misidentification of passengers has been one of the biggest inconveniences in post-9/11 air travel, and known for putting many innocent travelers through extensive searching and questioning before they were allowed to fly.
Previously, airlines have been responsible for checking the passenger lists against terror watch lists. But the airlines did not have any information other than a name.
Now the screening is done by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The more information available about a passenger, the less likely they will be mistaken for someone on a watch list, TSA Administrator John Pistole said. When someone makes a reservation, that information goes to the Secure Flight database in seconds.
But Pistole said it's still too early to tell if there have been fewer instances of mistaken identities now that the new system is in place.
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