TSA Secure Flight takes off at an airport near you

by Stephanus Surjaputra on April 1, 2009

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Tuesday that it has implemented the Secure Flight program.

Developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the program “shifts pre-departure watch list matching responsibilities from individual aircraft operators to TSA and carries out a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission.”

Under Secure Flight, airlines will gather a passenger’s full name, date of birth, and gender when making an airline reservation to determine if the passenger is a match to the No Fly or Selectee lists. By providing the additional data elements of gender and date of birth, Secure Flight will more effectively help prevent misidentification of passengers who have similar names to individuals on the watch list.

By taking over the entire process from the airlines, TSA hopes to:

1. Decrease the chance for compromised watch list data by limiting its distribution.
2. Provide earlier identification of potential matches, allowing for expedited notification of law enforcement and threat management.
3. Provide a fair, equitable, and consistent matching process across all airlines.
4. Reduce instances of misidentified individuals.
5. Offer consistent application of an expedited and integrated redress process for misidentified individuals via the Department of Homeland Security’s Travel Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP).

Beginning in late 2009, TSA will “assume the watch list matching function for passengers on international flights from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and international air carriers.”

TSA hopes to fully take charge of the process for all domestic commercial flights beginning in 2010 and all international commercial flights by the end of 2010.

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Tagged as: DHS, Secure Flight, TSA

  • John M

    To be very specific, the name on the reservation must match the name on the photo ID used at check in and you must provide your full name, date of birth and gender when you purchase your airline ticket. Also, this is a voluntary program according to the TSA webpage. If you opt not to participate, you will be subjected to a much higher level of screening and may be deny access to the gates and flights. Nothing like a little duress to make a voluntary program work. :-)

  • Hapgood

    That sounds good in theory: trading a little more privacy for promises of more accurate matching and an “expedited” redress process when errors occur. Since I have limited faith in any promises the TSA or Homeland Security make, I’ll wait to see whether the improvement is real.

    But here’s what seems an obvious question: The watch lists already have over a million names that presumably do not include birth date and gender. So how will giving that information help reduce erroneous matches with the enormous existing (and incomplete) list?

  • Jim P.

    None of this tells me what psychic powers the TSA will use to know that the entire I.D. is fake…then we’ll trade a little more privacy and a little more and eventually they will have the goal some tried for early on: Where you must present yourself at a government office, explain your reasons for flying, prove your identity and receive permission to fly. After all, if it catches even one terrorist isn’t it worth it?

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