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August 2005
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Air safety program still raising privacy concerns
Plagued by delays and privacy concerns, the government’s Secure Flight screening system for checking airline passenger names against criminal and terrorist lists is expected to launch early next year. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to test the first two airlines in August, with the next airlines scheduled to begin in late 2005. Secure Flight, as planned, should more accurately check passenger manifests against terrorist-watch lists than does the current system run by the airlines. It would also reduce the frequency of unnecessary passenger delays simply because a name on a watch list is similar to that of a terror suspect.
Traveler tools to gauge security wait times at U.S. airports
The amount of time travelers spend in security lines varies widely from airport to airport and often depends on airline scheduling and an airport's architecture. Airports that are home to growing carriers are often crowded with longer wait times, while many of the nation’s busiest airports are among the most efficient in moving passengers through security. Some checkpoints have substantially longer lines than checkpoints just a concourse away.