Do you know exactly how your name is spelled on your
driver’s license and/or passport? You might want to double check. The next
time you book a flight, you just might be asked for this information. And that
won’t be a temporary request. Not only will you be asked to give your full name
as it is written on the government issued ID you plan to travel with, but you
will also be asked your date of birth and gender. Why?
The Transportation Security Administration has implemented a
newly formed program called Secure Flight, and ALL airlines are required to
participate! If you are not asked for this additional info the next time you
book an air ticket, it is because the particular airline you are flying on is still integrating this new data collecting
into their system.
According to the TSA, passengers will not be delayed in
travel if this info is not recorded, as the program is being phased in gradually
with each airline based on their capacity to record this extra info.
This additional data collection is supposed to be able to
clear more people from the government's No –Fly list, (terrorist watch program) and should be appreciated
by people who have been misidentified on this list in the past. For more
details about this new TSA program, and the privacy policies behind, log on to
the TSA website.
