DHS announces enhanced, streamlined air security screening
In ceremonies marking the debut of these regulations, DHS also unveiled the Checkpoint Evolution prototype, which begins full operation at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) today.
The new passenger screening program is a response by TSA in an effort to resolve numerous complaints the agency has received from thousands of people inconvenienced on a daily basis because they have a name similar to someone on a watch list. Until now, these passengers always have had to go to the ticket counter and could never print their boarding pass from a home computer or airline kiosk.
Until TSA's Secure Flight program comes into effect in early 2009, the airlines have the responsibility of matching names on flight manifests to government watch lists.
Each airline will now be able to create a system to verify and securely store a passenger’s date of birth to clear up watch list misidentifications. It will allow the airlines themselves to eliminate the false positive alerts and reduce the inconvenience to passengers.
Once the airlines create their systems, passengers will have the option to provide their date of birth first at the airline ticket counter, and then have it stored in a secure system so they can check in online or at remote kiosks for future flights.
By voluntarily providing this limited biographical data to an airline and verifying that information once at the ticket counter, travelers that were previously inconvenienced on every trip will now be able to check in online or at remote kiosks.
"Hassles due to misidentification and the resulting necessity to stand in line to check in at the ticket counter is consistently among the deepest – and most valid – complaints of the traveling public," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "Thousands of passengers are inconvenienced each day, and this change should provide a way to eliminate the vast majority of these situations. This is good for travelers and for security, because as we make the checkpoint environment calmer, it becomes easier to spot individuals with hostile intent."
Additionally, DHS is providing greater clarity on the types of identification that will be accepted at checkpoints in the U.S.
Beginning May 26, 2008, federal or state-issued photo ID will be accepted if it contains: name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resistant feature.
Acceptable forms of ID include:
• U.S. passport
• U.S. passport card
• DHS "Trusted Traveler" cards (NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. Military ID
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• DHS-designated enhanced driver's license
• State-issued driver's license (from a state that received REAL ID extension)
• A Native American Tribal Photo ID
• An airline or airport-issued ID (if issued under a TSA-approved security plan
• A Registered Traveler card
• A foreign government-issued passport
• Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) card
According to the new regulations, non-US/Canadian citizens are not required to carry their passports if they have documents issued by the U.S. Government or individual states such as permanent resident cards or state-issued driver's licenses.
This standardization of the list of accepted documents better aligns TSA with other DHS components, including Customs and Border Protection and REAL ID benchmarks.
Between April 28 and May 26, passengers who present a photo ID that does not include a name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resistant feature will be reminded of the upcoming changes at the checkpoint. After May 26, passengers who do not present an acceptable ID may be subject to additional screening.
More information on acceptable documents is available at www.tsa.gov.
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