When do Secure Flight requirements go into effect?
The Secure Flight Rule requires that domestic airlines request and collect full name as of May 15, 2009, and date of birth and gender as of August 15, 2009 for their domestic flights. For international flights, full name, date of birth, and gender must be requested and collected as of October 31, 2009. These data elements are collectively referred to as Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD).
How does Secure Flight define “full name”?
Full name means an individual’s full name as it appears on a verifying identity document that the passenger plans to use when traveling. TSA has built some flexibility into the processes regarding passenger name accuracy. For the near future, small differences between the passenger’s ID and the passenger’s reservation information, such as the use of a middle initial instead of a full middle name or no middle name/initial at all, should not cause a problem for the passenger. Over time, passengers should strive to obtain consistency between the name on their ID and the travel information they use for booking flights.
Does the name on all of my identity documents have to match? What if my driver’s license has only my middle initial, but my passport has my full name? Should I change my driver’s license to match my passport?
Secure Flight does not require that the names on all of your IDs be identical. Passengers should ensure, however, that the name used when making a reservation matches the ID that will be used when the passenger checks in. To illustrate this point using a hypothetical example, if a passenger’s current driver’s license reads “John C. Doe,” the passenger is not required to apply for a new driver’s license listing the complete middle name. However, if the passenger plans to use his driver’s license for identification purposes when traveling, he should ensure that he makes his flight reservation using the exact name on the driver’s license, “John C. Doe.”
The TSA presentation advised there is latitude for the names to mismatch slightly – when will that latitude end?
TSA has not set an official date for when this latitude will end. Passengers should strive to obtain consistency between the name on their ID, the name used when making reservation, and the name on their traveler information (frequent flyer profiles, travel agency profiles, etc) by the time TSA finishes deployment to domestic airlines which is currently forecast for early 2010.
Will Secure Flight affect my airline frequent flyer accounts? I have heard that if the name I use to make my reservation matches my ID but not my frequent flyer account that the airline’s frequent flyer system will not recognize my name. What should I do?
Passengers should ensure that the name used when making a reservation matches the ID that will be used when the passenger checks in. If that name differs from the one on their frequent flyer account, passengers should consult the airline frequent flyer program regarding the process to update their frequent flyer account information.
Are the airlines taking the names out of the PNR name field or does the airline need to send it through to DHS in the specific GDS format?
It is up to each carrier to decide how they handle their name retrieval for the creation of the SFPD. Airlines could retrieve the information from the name field or from the IATA standard DOCS SSR fields.
Under what circumstance will a Boarding Pass be issued or not issued?
If a passenger is determined by Secure Flight not to match the watch list, the passenger will be able to receive his or her boarding pass. If a passenger is identified as a potential match to the watch list, he or she will not be able to receive a boarding pass until checking in with an airline representative or at a self-service kiosk at the airport and providing his or her verifying identity document. Airline personnel will not be able to print a boarding pass for an individual who is a confirmed match to the No Fly List. Please note that providing full and correct date of birth and gender information when making a reservation may help prevent being misidentified as a potential match to the watch list.
Those who believe they have been mistakenly matched to a name on the watch list are invited to apply for Redress through the Department of Homeland Security Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP). Secure Flight uses the results of the redress process in its watch list matching process, thus preventing future misidentifications for passengers who may have a name that is similar to an individual on the watch list. For more information on the redress process, visit www.dhs.gov/trip.
What happens if a name matches the watch list?
If a passenger’s name is a match to the watch list, Secure Flight will then compare the passenger’s date of birth and gender information to the date of birth and gender information of the watch list entry. Based on the additional information, this will usually result in a determination that the passenger no longer matches a watch list entry.
Does Secure Flight apply to charters?
The Secure Flight Final Rule applies to all covered flights operated by U.S. aircraft operators that are required to have a full program under 49 CFR 1544.101(a), and covered flights operated by foreign air carriers that are required to have a security program under 49 CFR 1546.101(a) or (b). These airlines generally are the passenger airlines that offer scheduled and public charter flights from commercial airports.
What happens to someone standing by for a flight or with last minute flight changes?
Facilitating passenger air travel is a key goal of the Secure Flight program. To achieve that goal, we have designed Secure Flight to be able to perform real-time watch list matching for passengers who are standing by or who have last minute flight changes.
Are the timelines related to the bookings or to the date of travel?
Secure Flight timelines are related to reservation dates. Therefore, for reservations that are made prior to the dates that Secure Flight has established for data collection requirements (see first question), airlines are not required to collect the required SFPD.
What information can TSA provide to get the word out?
In an effort to assist airlines, airports, and other members of the travel industry in presenting a unified message of the program’s benefits and requirements to their customers, Secure Flight developed the Secure Flight Communications Toolkit. Available on the Secure Flight Web site, the toolkit provides ready-to-use articles, brochures, signage, and other tools. Groups can easily access the materials here or visiting the Secure Flight Web site at www.tsa.gov, Keyword: Secure Flight.
The program is also reaching out to the travel industry by hosting meetings, webinars, and other communication events with such groups as ATA, IATA, ASTA, NBTA, and others. Secure Flight is working with these groups to help communicate the benefits that Secure Flight will bring as well as potential changes that it will entail for the travel industry.
What about passengers with names that are too long to fit in the airlines’ name fields, passengers with more than one middle or last name appearing on their ID, and passengers with suffixes such as Jr. or III?
TSA does not specify how the airline will collect passenger information, and therefore the details may vary from airline to airline. Passengers should check with their airline to determine those details.
What happens if a traveler changes their itineraries while traveling?
For travelers that change their itineraries while traveling, airlines will be required to submit updated SFPD to Secure Flight. This should not require any further information on the part of the passenger.
Do you anticipate longer lines at the ticket/security counters?
For the majority of passengers, Secure Flight will perform watch list matching and send a boarding pass printing result to airlines indicating whether or not the passenger is able to board a flight before the passenger arrives at the airport. Therefore, these passengers should not experience any extra delays because of Secure Flight. Passengers who have been mistakenly identified as a match to the watch list in the past should experience fewer of these instances under Secure Flight. Overall, Secure Flight is designed to make the travel experience easier.
If a passenger has been cleared for one flight but must change the time of the flight to a different time but on the same day, will they have to go through the complete process?
If a passenger changes his or her flight reservation to a different flight, the airline will have to submit complete SPFD for that passenger with the updated flight information.
TSA needs to provide an FAQ to the public with answers to these questions - all of which are very important to travelers.
TSA has provided a detailed set of FAQs on Secure Flight’s Web site. They can be accessed here or by visiting the Secure Flight Web site at www.tsa.gov Keyword: Secure Flight.
Does the ruling affect corporate aircraft?
The Secure Flight Final Rule applies to all covered flights operated by U.S. aircraft operators that are required to have a full program under 49 CFR 1544.101(a), and covered flights operated by foreign air carriers that are required to have a security program under 49 CFR 1546.101(a) or (b). These aircraft operators generally are the passenger airlines that offer scheduled and public charter flights from commercial airports. Private aircraft operated by corporate-owned entities are not covered in the scope of the Secure Flight rule.
If data is required 72 hours PRIOR to departure, does this mean travelers will no longer be able to book a flight for same day or next day travel?
No. For reservations made prior to 72 hours before departure, airlines are required to transmit SFPD to TSA at approximately 72 hours before departure time. For reservations made within 72 hours of departure time, airlines are required to submit SFPD as soon as the reservation is made. Secure Flight is designed with the capability to perform matching for all flights, even next-day or same-day flights.