Tue, Jun 08, 2010
DHS Performs 100 Percent Watchlist Matching For Domestic
Flights
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet
Napolitano (pictured) said that as of Monday, 100 percent of
passengers traveling within the United States and its territories
are now being checked against terrorist watchlists through the TSA
Secure Flight program, which it calls a major step in fulfilling a
key 9/11 Commission recommendation.
Before Secure Flight, airlines conducted passenger watchlist
checking.
“Secure Flight fulfills a key recommendation of the of the
9/11 Commission Report, enabling TSA to screen passengers directly
against government watchlists using passenger name, date of birth,
and gender before a boarding pass is issued,” said Secretary
Napolitano. “This program is one of our many layers of
security—coordinated with our partners in the airline
industry and governments around the world—that we leverage to
protect the traveling public against threats of
terrorism.”
In addition to facilitating secure travel for all passengers,
the program helps prevent the misidentification of passengers who
have names similar to individuals on government watchlists.
“We are quite pleased to see the positive outcome from
the collaborative work that ATA, its member airlines and TSA have
invested in the development of the Secure Flight program,”
said Air Transport Association (ATA) President and CEO James C.
May. “We are especially pleased that TSA phased program
implementation to ensure that commercial airline travelers
experience a seamless transition.”
99 percent of passengers will be cleared by Secure Flight to
print boarding passes at home by providing their date of birth,
gender and name as it appears on the government ID they plan to use
when traveling when booking airline tickets. Individuals found to
match watchlist parameters will be subjected to secondary
screening, a law enforcement interview or prohibition from boarding
an aircraft, depending on the specific case.
The Transportation Security Administration began implementing
Secure Flight in late 2009 and expects all international carriers
with direct flights to the U.S. to begin using Secure Flight by the
end of 2010.
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