Airline industry objects to new passenger flight data proposals
DHS may ask airlines to provide flight manifests an hour before departure; industry says change from 15 minutes will result in economic hardship and offers a 30 minute compromise; controversy is also building over revised definition of “departure”
The airline industry is flying off the hinges about a proposed DHS regulation requiring companies to submit passenger manifests an hour before departure, rather than the fifteen minutes required today. The idea, of course, is to permit the names to be run against the terrorist watch list, and DHS officials fear that in their haste to do so they may make a mistake. The airline industry, while sharing DHS concerns, is also extremely concerned about the bottom line, and it worries the new regulations will result in an increased number of missed flights. As a compromise, the airlines say they will consider a thirty-minute deadline instead.
“United is confident that, given the proper investment, CBP could complete its pre-departure review of passenger manifests in 30 minutes or less,” the company said in a 30-page response to the July proposal, noting also that the struggling carrier would save more than $1 billion over a decade if Customs and Border Protection (CBP) were able to check passenger identities in 30 minutes instead of 60. The airlines also requested a slower roll-out than the 180 days suggested by DHS and argued against a proposed change in the definition of “departure” from “wheels up” to when the aircraft leaves the gate. The change further diminishes the time allowed to file the passenger list and interferes with existing procedures, United said, calling the proposal “intolerable.”
The comment period ended 12 October, and CBP will announce a final rule soon.
-read more in this GovExec report
