US demands air passengers ask its permission to fly

[LiberalArkie]

<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/12/flying_into_data_hell/>

Under new rules proposed by the Transport Security Administration, all airline passengers would need advance permission before flying into, through, or over the United States regardless of citizenship or the airline's national origin.

Currently, the Advanced Passenger Information System, operated by the Customs and Border Patrol, requires airlines to forward a list of passenger information no later than 15 minutes before flights from the US take off (international flights bound for the US have until 15 minutes after take-off). Planes are diverted if a passenger on board is on the no-fly list.

The new rules mean this information must be submitted 72 hours before departure. Only those given clearance will get a boarding pass. The TSA estimates that 90 to 93 per cent of all travel reservations are final by then.

The proposed rules require the following information for each passenger: full name, sex, date of birth, and redress number (assigned to passengers who use the Travel Redress Inquiry Program because they have been mistakenly placed on the no-fly list), and known traveller number (once there is a programme in place for registering known travellers whose backgrounds have been checked). Non-travellers entering secure areas, such as parents escorting children, will also need clearance.

SNIP

[peacebird]

1. what a crock - it will needlessly delay folks who need to make an emergency trip

and do absolutely NOTHING to make us any safer.

Wonder what the new added fee for this will be?

[av8rdave]

2. Why don't we just do what Cuba did for a while and make all passengers

stow cameras and close window shades while flying over the US. Then we can be just like them! Wouldn't that be great?