- November 2008
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Current Events
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Secure Flight Final Rule issued
On October 22, 2008, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the issuance of the Secure Flight Final Rule. As one of the key recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, the rule transfers the responsibility for pre-departure watch list matching away from airlines and instead to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
According to the TSA, upon implementation of this program, airlines (and by extension, travel agencies) “will be required to collect a passenger’s full name, date of birth, and gender when making an airline reservation.” This information will be required for each passenger, as well as for certain non-traveling individuals, such as those escorting a minor or disabled passenger to the gate. The information is to be gathered a minimum of 72 hours before flight departure, or at the time of booking for reservations made less than 72 hours ahead of time.
Secure Flight will integrate with the Department of Homeland Security’s Travel Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP), and is expected to reduce the number of passengers misidentified as matching a name on the watch list.
The passenger watch list matching procedure through Secure Flight will apply to “all domestic and international passengers traveling on covered aircraft operator flights into, out of, within or over the United States.” According to the TSA, the program will transfer the watch list matching responsibilities from the aircraft operators to the TSA in two phases:
- Phase one, scheduled for early 2009, will apply to aircraft operators whose flights operate within the United States.
- Phase two, targeted for late 2009, will apply to flights into, out of, and over the United States.
Additional information, including details of the program and its associated Privacy Program, can be found on the TSA Web Site. The full text of the Final Rule can also be found in the Federal Register.
Sources: tsa.gov, cnn.com, Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Delta-Northwest merger now official
Delta and Northwest announced October 29 that they have officially merged. The new airline will be called Delta and headquartered in Atlanta.
The merger became official following notice from the United States Department of Justice that it would not challenge the merger based on antitrust objections.
Travelers are advised to “continue to check-in and do business directly with the airline operating their flight just as they did before the merger.” Integration activities are expected to take place over the next 12-24 months. Additional details can be found in the official press release.
Sources: delta.com, New York Times
