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Feb 20, 2008 12:10 pm US/Eastern
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Instant Passenger Checks Approved
GENEVA (CBS4) ―
A company owned by several major international airlines said it had won approval from the Department of Homeland Security to provide a system of providing passenger information to U.S. border authorities almost instantly, according to Reuters.
As of Tuesday, airlines flying to, from or over the U.S. must now submit a complete list of passengers and crew before the plane leaves its origin. The lists, along with a passenger's travel documents, have to be sent in a batch to the Customs and Border Protection 30 minutes in advance of departure. Customs then crosschecks the list against the U.S. "terrorist watch list." Airline industry insiders say this method could lead to large delays.
SITA, based in Geneva, said its system allows airline check-in desks to receive approval from Customs and Border Protection within 2 seconds of submission. The system, called Advanced Passenger Information Quick Query, allows an airline to send all information to Customs as each passenger checks in. The system would then receive an immediate response with an approval to board or to not board the passenger.
The system would also provide passengers denied boarding with information on who to contact for assistance.
Over 600 air firms including British Airways, Airbus, Continental Airlines and Qantas Airways own SITA.
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