But They Don't Much Like The Idea

by ANN Correspondent Matthew French in Helsinki, Finland

In the wake of the 9/11/01 terror attacks, Finnair is one of the foreign airlines getting ready to deliver detailed information on its transatlantic passengers to the United States. The USA has already issued this requirement to all the largest transatlantic carriers, both foreign and domestic. But in a statement issued Friday, Finnair said the requirement concerns all carriers flying to the United States.

The dispute between the European Union and the United States over the passengers' privacy protection was settled on Wednesday. The EU granted the airlines immediate permission to start rendering extensive seat reservation information to U.S. officials, even though the legislation enabling this procedure is not yet in effect. The actual passage of these laws could still take several months.

In announcing its compliance, Finnair expressed its discontent with the implicit breach of passengers' protection of privacy. However, Finnair executives said the EU decision was a relief, because it guarantees immunity from any sanctions or civil suits against an airline that hands over the required information. Finnair's system for forwarding passenger information to the United States is already half-complete. The annual cost of running this system is estimated at roughly $2 million. Finnair also complained that collecting more precise information from passengers flying to the United States is expected to slow down the check-in process. According to the British Airways calculations, the new requirements may extend time it takes to process a plane load of passengers by up to two hours.

The information requested by US officials includes passengers' credit card details, seat number, dietary requirements, possible illnesses, and a forwarding address in the United States. Passengers' previous travel history is also subject to inquiry. Handing over such confidential information between the passenger and the carrier to a third party is in conflict with the present European data security regulations, Finnair said. The United States has promised that this information is only to be used for security purposes and it is protected by the American privacy protection laws. Finnair has already rehearsed delivering its passengers' passport information before take-off to U.S. officials for almost a year now.

FMI: www.finnair.com