TSA To Require Date of Birth and Gender From Air Passengers

TS-Si

Fairfax, VA, USA. The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has launched a national public awareness campaign that educates passengers about TSA’s upcoming “Secure Flight” program, a collaborative effort with the airlines that enhances watch list matching through a phased-in approach.

The government says that additional data elements may be requested, such as date of birth and gender to better differentiate legitimate passengers from those individuals on the government watch list. The TSA announcement coincides with the start of the summer travel season.

Men and women born transsexual (Harry Benjamin Syndrome or HBS) who are in transition but have not yet completed legal name and sex changes should be ready to present their therapist’s letter diagnosing their transsexuality and indicating the HBS man or woman is in transition. Transsexuals have a legal right to travel and should be upfront about their situation and legal name at security checkpoints.

If travelers remain patient, most issues that arise during transition resolve themselves fairly quickly. HBS men and women, while not common place, travel often enough that security checkpoints in major cities and other locations have standard procedures that covers the issues that may arise during transition.

Transgender persons or male crossdressers who are travelling en femme should be prepared to show their legal ID with true name and gender, be ready to calmly explain any questions that might arise due to their mode of dress, and allow for extra time to clear security. At no time should travelers present a false ID at a security checkpoint. Presenting false ID is a federal offense.

Secure Flight is a behind the scenes program that streamlines the watch list matching process. TSA says it will improve the travel experience for all passengers, including those who have been misidentified in the past. Although boarding passes may not always display the exact name provided when booking your travel, the actual name provided will be used to perform the watch list matching before a boarding pass is ever issued. Small differences should not impact travel.

As designed, Secure Flight will not impact the process at the security checkpoint where TSA will continue to check that passengers are who they say they are. TSA performs document checking to determine that the passenger, their identification, and their boarding pass both match and are valid. Actual identity is critical to security to ensure that individuals with hostile intent do not board an aircraft.

TSA Acting Administrator Gale Rossides stated that “Secure Flight will also help reduce the misidentification of passengers who have names similar to individuals on government watch lists, clearing more than 99 percent of passengers for travel.”

Secure Flight is a phased in process for both TSA and the airlines — each airline will incorporate changes into their systems over the coming months as their capability to capture passenger data is integrated into their individual systems. Secure Flight is designed to enhance the security of domestic and international commercial air travel through the use of improved watch list matching, a responsibility that TSA is taking over from aircraft operators who, up until now, were solely responsible for checking passengers against government watch lists. By adding date of birth and gender, the number of misidentifications will be reduced and the government can more readily identify passengers who do not pose a threat.

Over the coming months when booking airline travel, travelers may be asked to provide their name as it appears on the government ID they plan to use when traveling. Later this summer, airlines will also begin asking passengers to provide their date of birth and gender. TSA’s goal is for Secure Flight to be fully implemented in early 2010 for all domestic flights and the end of 2010 for all international flights.

If a passenger is not prompted to provide this additional information by a particular airline, they should not be concerned as it should not impact their travel.

TSA is a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that was formed following the tragedies of September 11, 2001. TSA protects the nation’s transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce. Its 45,000 transportation security officers are responsible for airport security at more than 450 U.S. airports.

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