Agency Wants To Clear Passengers That Will Not Be Landing In The U.S.

GA pilots aren't the only ones frustrated with heavy-handed security policies decreed by the U.S. government.

TSA's Secure Flight program intends, by the end of this year, to require passenger information for all flights over the U.S. - even commercial airline flights which cross U.S. airspace but don't land at a U.S. airport. Canada's airlines, which would be disproportionately affected by the rule, are not amused. Nor are some of its media or political parties.

The Washington Times notes that an editorial last week in the Calgary Herald included this analysis. "The American obsession with security has literally reached new heights of paranoia. The thought of the U.S. government denying boarding passes to travelers on outbound Canadian flights direct to Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Jamaica or Havana is another example that the terrorists have won."

While it's probably not just another way to try to enforce the travel ban to Cuba ... we have to wonder if a Canadian who's denied boarding on his own country's airliners because of a TSA screw-up will still be as polite.

FMI: www.tc.gc.ca/eng/air-menu.htm, www.tsa.gov