Comments on: Continental Airlines flips the switch on “Secure Flight” — but are we really safer?

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:21:51 +0000

What I still do not understand is why is this information (full name, birth date, and gender) important? Who cares who is flying? Is it not more important to know WHAT is flying? As the article that Frank linked to stated, we can’t bring a butter knife on board, yet we could bring plastic explosives on board. How is knowing our names going to help? And what would stop a terrorist from changing their name to “John Smith” and making up a birth date so they are not “caught” when trying to buy or use an airline ticket?

And to echo Bruce Schneier (I believe he said it first), what on Earth can someone do that would prevent them from flying but not dastardly enough to have them arrested?

The TSA has gone overboard and needs to be re-evaluated. I think the airlines need to be in line for a smacking since they wanted names attached to airline tickets so that passengers who could not fly were not able to sell or give their tickets to someone who could fly (hey, I paid for the ticket so why can I not sell it to my neighbor if I can not fly? Oh, that’s right–so the airlines can make money from my unused ticket and the ticket my neighbor has to buy–is this not a sign of outrageous greed???).

By: Ed F London

Ed F London — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:30:09 +0000

and check this from The Economist:

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2009/09/security_theatre_update.cfm?Fsrc=glvrnwl

By: John M

John M — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:21:40 +0000

Delta has been doing this since August 15th and it has caused numerous issues with frequent flyers getting credit and no one has been stopped or delayed at the TSA security check points when the information hasn’t been added.

If you go to the TSA website, it says that this program is voluntary and that passengers can opt out of it. It then goes on to say that by doing so, passengers will be subjected to secondary screening and possibly be denied access to secure areas, which includes the gates and thus the aircraft.

By: CT

CT — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:16:57 +0000

I booked a November trip on Alaska Airlines yesterday and had to provide the Secure Flight info, so I wonder if Continental was really the first.

Interestingly, I work for the U.S. Government, which is spending millions (if not billions) of dollars complying with a Bush-era order to standardize employee IDs (“Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12″). Nevertheless my new, RFID-chipped photo ID does not comply with the Secure Flight requirements because it lacks my complete middle name. As usual, the left and right hands of the federal government are clapping to different tunes.

We’ve been told to use other government-issued IDs to fly, and the list of approved IDs includes DoD dependant IDs. I am a retired Marine’s dependant, but my DoD-issued ID does not indicate my gender. So, again, the federal government is confused about which of the IDs the government itself has issued comply with the government’s TSA requirements.

I don’t feel any safer (not that I feel endangered given what I understand about flying safety) but as a taxpayer I feel poorer, and as someone who believes in the Bill of Rights I feel less secure in my personal privacy than I did before the government put all my personal and biometric data (apart from my full middle name!) on an easily-scannable RFID chip.

By: Hapgood

Hapgood — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:45:42 +0000

I’m going to ask again the obvious question that I guarantee the Homeland Security people will never answer: Have the various agencies that maintain the watchlists updated all the million-odd names to include full legal name, gender, and birth date? If not, how will “Secure Flight” either improve the effectivness of the watchlists or improve security?

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:59:17 +0000

Was just reading an article by a PILOT who said:
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/08/28/askthepilot332/index.html

Are passengers safe from terrorists?
The TSA wastes a lot of time and money on an inefficient fight against the wrong enemy

By: Continental Airlines flips the switch on “Secure Flight” — but are … « EMALLY

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:20:24 +0000

[...] Read the original post: Continental Airlines flips the switch on “Secure Flight” — but are … [...]

By: Stephen - NYC

Stephen - NYC — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:37:58 +0000

Ok, again, where are the comments? I posted one & then a ‘where’s my comment’ question & I still see no comments. I wonder if this one will post.

By: Stephen - NYC

Stephen - NYC — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:33:03 +0000

I’ll say it: I don’t want any airline or travel agent to record my date of birth. I don’t mind flashing my passport or driver’s license to a ‘security official’ or ‘gate agent’, but no storing of the information is needed.
If I want to sign up for a special program whereby my information is vetted, that’s a different story; but to fly on a plane, why should I have to give any airline my date of birth? More security smoke and mirrors.