TSA Mandates Collection of Secure Flight Data
To fully implement Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD), the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has instructed air carriers and travel agencies, beginning as early as June 15, 2010, to provide mandatory SFPD no later than 72-hours prior to departure or when making a reservation - whichever comes first. Up until now this passenger information was optional.
The TSA has given each air carrier a specific deadline, over the next five months, to comply with the full implementation of SFPD by collecting the following passenger data:
- Name as it appears on government-issued I.D. when traveling
- Date of Birth
- Gender
- Redress Number (if applicable)
- *Passport information is required for international travel
Airlines or travel agencies will gather the SFPD data when making an airline reservation. The airline will transmit this information to Secure Flight, who uses it to perform watch list matching. After matching passenger information against government watch lists, Secure Flight transmits the matching results back to airlines. This serves to prevent individuals on the No Fly List from boarding an aircraft and to identify individuals on the Selectee List for enhanced screening.