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Secure Flight Program

Security Programs

November 1 Changes

• Overview
  
  Secure Flight, the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) behind-the-scenes watch list matching program, fulfills a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission by assuming responsibility of watch list matching from individual airlines. By establishing a consistent watch list matching system, Secure Flight enhances aviation security and more effectively facilitates air travel for passengers.
  
  Secure Flight requires airlines to collect a passenger’s full name (as it appears on government-issued ID), date of birth, gender and Redress Number (if applicable). By providing complete information, passengers can significantly decrease the likelihood of watch list misidentification. Secure Flight watch list matching takes a matter of seconds to complete, and providing this data enables passengers to print their boarding passes at home or at an airline kiosk.
  
  For airlines, November 1, 2010, marks the end of the year-long grace period to clear out their systems of older reservations made before Secure Flight requirements took effect in October 2009. After November 1, 2010, Secure Flight will not conduct watch list matching or approve the issuance of a boarding pass by an airline if complete passenger data is not submitted.
  
  

• Questions and Answers
  
  What does the November 1 airline compliance date mean for passengers?
  The November 1 date requires passengers to provide complete Secure Flight passenger data when booking reservations so TSA can conduct watch list matching and approve airlines to issue a boarding pass. To avoid unnecessary delays and prevent misidentifications, passengers should provide complete Secure Flight data when booking airline travel, whether they have booked directly with the airline, a travel agent or an online booking site.
  
  Will passengers still be able to book a ticket within 72 hours of a flight?
  Yes. TSA’s Secure Flight program can conduct watch list matching for passengers up until the time of the flight. Passengers will be prompted to provide Secure Flight information when booking travel. For reservations booked on short notice, or within 72 hours of the scheduled flight departure time, airlines must submit the required passenger information as soon as the reservation is made.
  
  What happens if a passenger has an existing reservation for travel after November 1, 2010, and did not provide complete Secure Flight data when booking his or her flight?
  TSA advises passengers to contact their airlines or booking sources prior to arriving at the airport to ensure they have provided their full name, date of birth, gender, and Redress number (if applicable) as part of their reservations. While TSA’s watch list matching takes a matter of seconds and can be completed up until the time of departure, passengers should be aware that a boarding pass will not be issued until the airline submits complete passenger data to Secure Flight.
  
  What if a passenger’s boarding pass and ID do not match exactly?
  Secure Flight and travel document checking are both critical security functions, yet they serve different purposes at different points in the security process. Secure Flight is a behind-the-scenes watch list matching process that takes place before checkpoint screening. Secure Flight asks that passengers enter their names as they appear on their government ID and passengers should strive to stay consistent between the name on their ID and the information they provide when booking their reservation. Once a passenger receives their boarding pass, the Secure Flight process is already complete.
  
  At the security checkpoint, TSA strives to ensure your identification and boarding pass are authentic and validate you are who you say you are. Small differences in the name on the boarding pass and ID, like middle initials, should not impact your travel. It is not uncommon for the information printed on boarding passes to differ slightly from the information on IDs, depending on the boarding pass printing practices of individual airlines.
  
  

Latest News

• TSA's Secure Flight enters next public phase. Read the Press Release.
• Airlines and Travel Agencies - Use the Secure Flight Communications Toolkit to communicate the changes and benefits that Secure Flight will bring for your customers
• Find answers to your questions regarding Secure Flight on the FAQs page
• Think you were misidentified as a match to the watch list? Visit the DHS Travel Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) and help prevent future difficulties today.

Secure Flight Overview

Secure Flight is a behind the scenes program that enhances the security of domestic and international commercial air travel through the use of improved watch list matching. By collecting additional passenger data, it will improve the travel experience for all airline passengers, including those who have been misidentified in the past.

When passengers travel, they will be required to provide the following Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD) to their airline when making a reservation:

• Name as it appears on government-issued I.D. when traveling
• Date of Birth
• Gender
• Redress Number (if available)

The airline will transmit this information to Secure Flight, who uses it to perform watch list matching. This serves to prevent individuals on the No Fly List from boarding an aircraft and to identify individuals on the Selectee List for enhanced screening. After matching passenger information against government watch lists, Secure Flight transmits the matching results back to airlines.

Dates of Implementation

Airlines must request and collect full name, date of birth, and gender, and Redress Number (if available) as of August 15, 2009 for domestic flights and as of October 31, 2009 for international flights. However, Secure Flight will be phased-in with each airline. Passengers should not be concerned if particular airlines do not ask them to provide the additional information right away; it should not impact their travel.

Top Secure Flight Questions

Q. What is Secure Flight and what does it do?
A. Secure Flight is a behind the scenes program that streamlines the watch list matching process. It will improve the travel experience for all passengers, including those who have been misidentified in the past.

Q. What information will be collected by Secure Flight?
A. When fully implemented, Secure Flight will require all airlines to provide a passenger's name as it appears on the government issued ID they plan to travel with, date of birth, gender, and redress number (if available).

Q. If the name printed on my boarding pass is different than what appears on my government ID, will I still be able to fly?
A. Secure Flight is a behind-the-scenes process that TSA and airlines collaborate on to compare the information you provide against government watch lists. The additional data elements that you may be asked to provide, such as date of birth and gender, serve to better differentiate you from individuals on the government watch list.

Due to difference in boarding pass systems, boarding passes may not always display the exact name you provided when booking your travel. The name you provide when booking your travel is used to perform the watch list matching before a boarding pass is ever issued, so small differences should not impact your travel. You should ensure that the name provided when booking your travel matches the government ID that you will use when traveling. Small differences between the passenger's ID the passenger's reservation information, and the boarding pass (such as the use of a middle initial instead of a full middle name or no middle name/initial at all, hyphens or apostrophes) should not cause a problem for the passenger.

Q. Why is Secure Flight collecting this information?
A. TSA determined that mandating the provision of the additional data elements of date of birth and gender would greatly reduce the number of passengers misidentified as a match to the watch list. It is to the passenger's advantage to provide the required data elements as doing so may prevent delays or inconveniences at the airport, particularly for those individuals who have been misidentified in the past.

Q. What happens if my airline didn't ask for any of that information?
A. Secure Flight will be phased-in and each airline will be incorporating the necessary changes into their systems over the coming months. Passengers shouldn't be concerned if particular airlines don't ask them to provide the additional information right away; it should not impact their travel. Each airline will request this information as their capability to capture it is integrated into their individual systems.

Q. How do I know if I am on the No Fly list?
A. If a passenger successfully obtains a boarding pass, his/her name is not on the No-Fly list. If a passenger feels they have been misidentified, redress is an opportunity to seek resolution and avoid future delays. The affected passengers often have the same or a similar name to someone on the watch list. Any passenger who believes he/she has been delayed or denied boarding; delayed or denied entry into the U.S. at a port of entry; or been subject to enhanced screening or inspection may seek redress through the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) at www.dhs.gov/trip. DHS TRIP provides a single portal for travelers to seek redress for adverse screening experiences and to resolve possible watch list misidentification issues.

Program background
Secure Flight is a program developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to a key 9/11 Commission recommendation: uniform watch list matching by TSA. The mission of the Secure Flight program is to enhance the security of domestic and international commercial air travel through the use of improved watch list matching.

Secure Flight conducts uniform prescreening of passenger information against federal government watch lists for domestic and international flights. TSA is taking over this responsibility from airlines. Secure Flight will conduct passenger watch list matching for all domestic and international passengers traveling on covered flights into, out of, within, or over the United States. Secure Flight will also apply to point-to-point international flights operated by U.S.- based airlines.

By assuming watch list matching responsibilities from the airlines, TSA:

• Decreases the chance for compromised watch list data by limiting its distribution.
• Provides earlier identification of potential matches, allowing for expedited notification of law enforcement and threat management.
• Provides a fair, equitable, and consistent matching process across all airlines.
• Reduces instances of misidentified individuals.
• Offers consistent application of an integrated redress process for misidentified individuals through the Department of Homeland Security's Travel Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) .

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How it Works

Under the Secure Flight program, passengers making a reservation are required to provide their full name (as it appears on the identification document used when traveling), date of birth, and gender. TSA matches this information against government watch lists to:

• Identify known and suspected terrorists.
• Prevent individuals on the No Fly List from boarding an aircraft.
• Identify individuals on the Selectee List for enhanced screening.
• Facilitate passenger air travel.
• Protect individuals' privacy.

After matching passenger information against government watch lists, Secure Flight transmits the matching results back to airlines.

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Privacy

Ensuring the privacy of individuals is a cornerstone of Secure Flight. TSA has developed a comprehensive privacy plan to incorporate privacy laws and practices into all areas of Secure Flight. The program has worked extensively to maximize individual privacy.

In addition to assuring compliance and re-enforcing its commitment to protecting privacy, Secure Flight has created an environment dedicated to guaranteeing a Secure Flight privacy mission that is front and center every day.

The Secure Flight Privacy Program includes:

1. Foundational Privacy Principles: Tenets that underpin and guide all Secure Flight behaviors, requirements, systems and processes
2. Privacy Organization: Dedicated Privacy Officer and privacy staff, processes, and procedures responsible for privacy compliance, for assessing Secure Flight privacy risks, and for developing and implementing plans to effectively manage those risks
3. Privacy Policy: Secure Flight privacy policies, procedures, standards, and rules of behavior as well as ways to adhere to them
4. Systems Development and Security: Administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that manage privacy risks throughout the lifecycle of the Secure Flight system
5. Awareness and Training: Programs to make the Secure Flight organization and its stakeholders, including the traveling public and the airlines, aware of Secure Flight's privacy posture and practices
6. Monitoring and Compliance: Programs to monitor adherence to statutory and regulatory privacy requirements and Secure Flight's privacy principles, policies, procedures, standards and rules of behavior
7. Redress and Response: Systems and processes to respond, if needed, to privacy inquiries, issues and incidents
8. Privacy Risk Management: Tools and techniques to support Secure Flight privacy risk management

Personal Information

TSA collects the minimum amount of personal information necessary to conduct effective watch list matching. Furthermore, personal data is collected, used, distributed, stored, and disposed of according to stringent guidelines and all applicable privacy laws and regulations. Secure Flight has published an updated Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) in conjunction with the Final Rule and System of Records Notice (SORN) published in the Federal Register to provide detailed information about the program's privacy approach.

TSA does not collect or use commercial data to conduct Secure Flight watch list matching.

TSA's Secure Flight Exemption Rule was published November 9, 2007, in the Federal Register. The Exemption Rule provides the public notice of TSA's decision to exempt the Secure Flight Records system (DHS/TSA 019) from several provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as well as the basis for the claimed exemptions. Additionally, the Exemption Rule provides a comprehensive response to public comments received for the Secure Flight Notice of Proposed Rule Making for Privacy Act Exemptions.

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What Laws Require Secure Flight?

Section 4012(a) of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA) required DHS to assume from airlines the comparison of passenger information to the Selectee and No Fly Lists and to use all appropriate records in the consolidated and integrated watch list that the federal government maintains. The final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States (9/11 Commission Report) recommended that the watch list matching function "should be performed by TSA and it should utilize the larger set of watch lists maintained by the federal government."

Secure Flight published its Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in August 2007. From August 2007 through November 21, 2007, TSA accepted comments from the public and industry on the NPRM. TSA considered these comments while modifying the Final Rule. The Secure Flight Final Rule was published on October 28, 2008, and went into effect on December 29, 2008.

Helpful Links

• Secure Flight Passenger Data Definitions

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