Questions and Answers
Secure Flight Program
Q. What passenger information is needed by Secure Flight?
A. In the Secure Flight Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), TSA is proposing to collect the following data elements:
- Full Name (aircraft operator will collect it and passenger must provide it)
- Itinerary (aircraft operator will provide it)
- Date of Birth (aircraft operator will request it but it is optional for passenger to provide it)
- Gender (aircraft operator will request it but it is optional for passenger to provide it)
- Redress Number (aircraft operator will request it but it is optional for passenger to provide it, if available)
- Known Traveler Number (aircraft operator will request it, but it is optional for passenger to provide it, if available)
Providing the optional information is beneficial to passengers as it helps ensure they are not misidentified with a person on a watch list. Secure Flight does NOT assign a score to individuals, use commercial data or predict behavior.
Q. Are there benefits to Secure Flight?
A. Secure Flight will streamline and simplify the watch list matching process by moving watch list matching responsibilities currently performed by dozens of air carriers to TSA. This will create consistency for the traveler and help prevent passenger misidentification.
Q. What traveler data will Secure Flight use?
A. Secure Flight harmonizes security and traveler privacy by utilizing data elements already required by airlines to make flight reservations. Additional information required by the airline will be supplied to Secure Flight as well. Secure Flight does NOT assign a score to individuals, use commercial data or predict behavior.Q. How will Secure Flight be implemented after the NPRM period?
DHS has directed CBP and TSA to combine the pre-departure APIS and Secure Flight concepts and systems to provide "One DHS Solution" to the commercial aviation industry and the traveling public. As a result, the watch list matching function for international and domestic flights to the government in three stages:
- CBP will conduct pre-departure watch list matching for passengers on international flights through the pre-departure Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) program.
- TSA will conduct pre-departure watch list matching for domestic flights operated by U.S. aircraft operators by implementing Secure Flight.
- TSA will assume the watch list matching function for passengers on international flights from CBP.
We expect Secure Flight to begin implementation in 2008.
Q. What is the objective of Secure Flight?
A. The goals of the program are to:
- Identify known and suspected terrorists;
- Prevent individuals on the No Fly List from boarding an aircraft;
- Subject individuals on the Selectee List to enhanced screening to determine if they are permitted to board an aircraft; and
- Facilitate passenger air travel
Q. How will my travel experience be different when Secure Flight is up and running?
A. The passenger experience under Secure Flight will be the same for most travelers. For those who encounter misidentification at the ticker counter, Secure Flight will help prevent watch list name confusion by consolidating the watch list process within TSA. The Secure Flight rule proposes that passengers only be required to provide their full name; however, providing the additional data may help differentiate a passenger from an individual on the watch list and prevent misidentification.
Q. Why is it safer for TSA to perform watch list matching rather than the airlines?
A. Currently, individual airlines conduct watch list matching using a watch list provided by TSA. Airlines' core missions are to provide air travel to customers for a fee to generate revenue, while TSA's core mission is transportation security. Moving the watch list matching function to TSA allows airlines to focus on their core mission and TSA to focus on ours. In addition, by assuming the watch list matching function, TSA would be able to more effectively and consistently prevent certain known or suspected terrorists from boarding aircraft where they may jeopardize the lives of passengers and others.
Q. What can I do if I think I am on the No Fly list? What does redress mean?
A. If a passenger successfully obtained a boarding pass, their name is not on the No-Fly list. Redress is an opportunity for passengers who believe they have been improperly or unfairly delayed or prohibited from boarding an aircraft to seek resolution and avoid future delays. The affected passengers often have the same or a similar name to someone on the watch list. DHS recently launched the Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (TRIP) to provide a one-stop shop for passengers seeking redress.
Q. Who is included on the government watch lists TSA will use to perform watch list matching under Secure Flight?
A. According to the Secure Flight Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, during normal Secure Flight operations, TSA will match limited passenger information to the No Fly and Selectee components of the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), maintained by the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC). TSA will only use a larger list when warranted for security purposes, such as intelligence that terrorists are targeting a specific flight route. In order to meet the Secure Flight mission of both preventing known and suspected terrorists from boarding an aircraft and facilitating legitimate passenger air travel, TSA will only utilize those watch lists that identify individuals with a nexus to terrorism that pose a threat to aviation. For more information regarding the TSC and TSDB, please see the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Frequently Asked Questions.
