- updated on 02/11/2009 -

As announced earlier, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will launch its Secure Flight Program later this year.
The program will ultimately impact all air travelers flying within, into, out of and over the United States. The new rule transfers the responsibility of comparing pre-departure passenger lists against federal government watch lists from the airlines to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and will help to ensure that travelers are not misidentified. When in effect, travelers will be required to submit the following data elements to the air carrier, either directly or via a travel agency or GDS, when booking a ticket:

• Full legal name
• Gender
• Date of birth

Travelers can also provide the following data to aid identification:

• Passport number
• Redress number: this number is awarded to persons who have been misidentified upon an earlier visit to the U.S.  If this was the case for you but you have not received a redress number at the time, you can still apply for such a number va TSA.

The airlines will give TSA this passenger data 72 hours before takeoff. Boarding passes may not be available to print if this information is not provided.

Timeline(updated 02/11/2009)

• Phase 1, commenced 15 August 2009, and applies to domestic aircraft operators whose flights operate within the United States.
• Phase 1 Part 2, scheduled for 31 October 2009, will apply to flights into, out of and over the United States on U.S. carriers.
• Phase 2, scheduled for 31 October 2010, will apply to flights into, out of and over the United States on international carriers

How to prepare

The main thing you can do now is to use your full and correct name when travelling.  This is the name as is mentioned on your official passport. 

Please note that, for the short term, TSA has built some flexibility into the processes regarding passenger name accuracy. Small differences between the passenger’s ID and the passenger’s reservation information, such as the use of a middle initial instead of a full middle name or no middle name / initial at all, should not cause a problem for the passenger at this time. Over time, however, passengers should strive to obtain consistency between the name used on their ID and in their travel information

Travelers with frequent-flyer accounts should make sure that the name on their account matches the name on both their ticket and ID. Please call the airline or visit their Web site to learn more about changing the name in a frequent-flyer account

If you have been misidentified but do not have a redress number, please apply at www.dhs.gov/trip to prevent future misidentifications.

How we are preparing

American Express Business Travel is continuing to work with the airlines, GDSs and other vendors to determine the best approach for submitting the required data to TSA. We are working in concert to ensure that the final solution for collecting this information is as simple and automated as possible for you and your travelers. We will communicate more specific details about how to prepare for Secure Flight as soon as final decisions are made.

More information

For more information and updates on the Secure Flight Program, please visit the Secure Flight Program web site at: http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/secureflight/index.shtm

If you have more questions about Secure Flight and the role of American Express Business Travel, please don't hesitate to get in touch with your Client General Manager.