Foreign airlines may have to disclose names of passengers

The Bush administration is considering requiring foreign airlines to check the names of passengers on all flights over the United States against government watch lists.

The proposal would most affect airlines in Mexico and Canada because the majority of the hundreds of flights each day come from those countries.

Currently, foreign airlines planning to land in the United States must submit passenger and crew lists to the government within 15 minutes of departure. The names are checked against lists of people considered terrorists or who otherwise could present a danger.

Airlines must do the same for crew members on flights over the United States. Now the Transportation Security Administration is considering requiring airlines to check the names of passengers, spokesman Mark Hatfield said.

The goal would be to add one more layer of protection against hijackings.

Cliff Mackay, president of the Air Transport Association of Canada, said Canadian and U.S. officials are discussing the idea.

One question, Mackay said, would be whether U.S. authorities would want passengers checked on east-west flights that might skirt U.S. airspace or only on those flights that significantly go into U.S. territory.

Source: LESLIE MILLER
Associated Press