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Government/Legislation
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U.S., E.U. reach agreement on airline passenger data
On July 26 the United States and the European Union reached a new agreement regarding the sharing of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data for individuals traveling from Europe to the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the purpose for collecting this data is to detect “potentially dangerous transatlantic travelers” and “to prevent and combat terrorism and transnational crime.”
The current agreement replaces an interim agreement that had been in place since 2004. The previous agreement had allowed for the sharing of more PNR data fields – 34 in total, as compared to the new agreement’s 19 fields.
The 19 pieces of passenger data that will be collected are:
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PNR record locator code
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Date of reservation/issue of ticket
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Date(s) of intended travel
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Name(s)
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Available frequent flier and benefit information (i.e., free tickets, upgrades, etc.)
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Other names on PNR, including number of travelers on PNR
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All available contact information (including originator information)
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All available payment/billing information (not including other transaction details linked to a credit card or account and not connected to the travel transaction)
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Travel itinerary for specific PNR
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Travel agency/travel agent
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Code share information
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Split/divided information
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Travel status of passenger (including confirmations and check-in status)
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Ticketing information, including ticket number, one way tickets and Automated Ticket Fare Quote
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All baggage information
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Seat information, including seat number
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General remarks including other service-related information (OSI), special services information (SSI), and special service request (SSR) information
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Any collected advance passenger information system (APIS) information
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All historical changes to the PNR listed in numbers 1 through 18
Another significant difference between the previous agreement and the new one is the amount of time that the collected data can be stored.
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Under the previous agreement, data was stored for 3.5 years. If the PNR data had not been manually accessed during that time span, it was then destroyed. If the data had been manually accessed during that time, it was transferred to a deleted record file, where it would remain for eight years before being destroyed.
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Under the new agreement, data will be stored for seven years in an active database, after which it will be moved to dormant, non-operational status for an additional eight years. While the DHS expects that EU PNR data will be deleted at the end of this period, this topic is still under discussion.
DHS has indicated that under normal circumstances it will receive the PNR data 72 hours prior to the flight departure time, and then will receive subsequent updates to ensure data accuracy. There may be exceptions in the event of a specific threat, when data would be gathered prior to the 72-hour mark.
While DHS has stated it will filter and delete any sensitive EU passenger data unless it is accessed for an exceptional case, this remains an area of concern for some privacy advocates, who worry that the PNR data could end up including sensitive information about passengers. Provisions of The Privacy Act of 1974 apply to PNR data stored for individuals regardless of their nationality or country of residence. Travelers who believe their data includes inaccurate information can seek corrections or redress by visiting: http://www.dhs.gov/trip.
Sources: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Dow Jones Newswires, The Washington Post
Cigarette lighter ban no longer enforced; liquid ban still in effect
Beginning August 4, travelers were allowed to carry on to planes butane lighters, such as Bics, and refillable lighters, such as Zippos. These items previously had been confiscated at security check points, but Federal Aviation Administration authorities recently decided to change it, given that the collection of these items slowed down security checkpoint lines, and has cost a significant amount of money—about 22,000 lighters were being collected nationwide each day, costing approximately $4 million USD a year for disposal.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials say lifting the ban allows security officers to concentrate on looking for more sensitive, potentially harmful objects. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security supported lifting the ban, so long as it could be determined that lighters were not a significant threat to civil aviation security. The ban on small scissors and other tools was lifted in late 2005 for similar reasons. Conversely, matches have never been disallowed.
In related news, the ban imposed last summer, which restricts carrying onto a plane more than three ounces of liquids, gels, or aerosols, will continue to remain in effect for the foreseeable future. Longer term, TSA officials suggest this ban may be eased with the eventual deployment of high-tech X-ray machines that would produce 3-D images of luggage contents, rather than the current two-dimensional view.
As a reminder, all liquids, gels, and aerosols must be in 3-ounce or smaller containers and be placed in a single, quart-size zip-top, clear plastic bag, which must be placed in a bin or on a conveyer belt for security screening.
Sources: New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Transportation Security Administration
