On March 31, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced
the implementation of Secure Flight-a program to screen flight
passenger data and flag possible terrorists before they board a
commercial airplane. DHS should be commended for implementing such
a smart security measure. Secure Flight expands America's capacity
to find possible terrorists while minimizing the impact on the
airline industry and protecting the rights and privacy of
individuals. DHS and Congress should use this program as a model
for future airline security efforts and take steps to ensure its
full implementation.
Checking Passengers
Prior to 9/11, the individual airlines screened passengers for
security risks. This system was known as the Computer Assisted
Prescreening Passenger System (CAPPS). CAPPS, however, was limited:
The only datasets that could be screened for security risks were
the passenger's form of payment and travel itinerary.
After all of the 9/11 hijackers boarded airplanes under the
CAPPS system, the need for a new approach was clear. In fact, the
9/11 Commission Report emphasized that the aviation industry lacked
adequate means to screen all commercial flight passengers against
known or suspected terrorists watch lists. After a contentious
debate over the best way to use this passenger data while
protecting civil liberties, the idea for Secure Flight was
developed.
Secure Flight checks a passenger's data against a federal
database of the FBI Terrorist Screening Center-a center that
integrates all available information on known or suspected
terrorists into a central repository. While alternative proposals
considered prior to Secure Flight would have tasked the airline
industry with this screening process, under this program the
airlines' only charge is to gather basic information (full name,
date of birth, and gender) when the passenger makes a
reservation.
Why Secure Flight Works
Implementation of Secure Flight is a positive step toward
addressing a glaring security gap left open since 9/11. It produces
the following benefits:
- Keeps Americans safer. Secure Flight ensures that known
or suspected terrorists are prevented from boarding commercial
airplanes in the U.S. And since the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) is performing the screening, passenger data
can be compared against a classified list rather than the
unclassified list that is now shared with airlines-making certain
that the right people are prohibited from boarding.
- Minimizes impact on industry. Because TSA performs the
screening itself, the airline industry does not have to make costly
upgrades or major changes that might harm an already struggling
industry. Prior to Secure Flight, an alternative plan, known as
CAPPS2, would have cost the airline industry over $1 billion in
logistical upgrades. Secure Flight will be significantly cheaper-it
is estimated to cost approximately $630 million-and has already
received far more favorable reviews from the airlines
themselves.
- Maintains privacy and civil liberties. Under Secure
Flight, TSA-not outside entities-will check watch lists. This means
that information privacy is maximized by decreasing the possibility
that private data will wind up in the wrong hands. Furthermore,
Secure Flight helps tackle some of the civil rights concerns
associated with watch lists by minimizing misidentification. On
many occasions, under the current system, those who have a name
similar to someone on the watch list have been prohibited from
boarding an airplane. This misidentification is minimized when
airlines, during the ticket purchasing process, obtain the
traveler's gender and date of birth. Furthermore, if an individual
is wrongfully prohibited from boarding an airplane, he can use the
DHS's Traveler's Redress Inquiry Program to address the error.
Going Forward
Going forward, DHS and Congress should continue to implement
Secure Flight and work together to expand other programs that
increase airline security while shedding those that do not. These
steps include:
- Ensure full implementation of Secure Flight. TSA has now
implemented Secure Flight with four volunteer aircraft carriers.
DHS says that they are going to add more carriers in the next few
months, with 100 percent implementation on both domestic and
international flights by 2010. Congress should fully fund this
program and DHS should ensure 100 percent implementation.
- Expand the Visa Waiver Program. The Visa Waiver
Program-which allows passengers from member countries to travel to
the U.S. without the need for a visa-increases air travel security
by acquiring information about foreign travelers before they even
reach U.S. soil. Furthermore, the information sharing and security
agreements that go along with visa waiver membership help the U.S.
and its member countries to fight terrorism around the globe-all
while expanding the U.S. economy and improving America's image
abroad.
- Scrap the 100 percent air cargo mandate. The 100 percent
air cargo screening mandate is an example of the wrong kind of
policies for the airline industry. This mandate would require 100
percent screening of cargo transported by passenger aircraft. TSA
is not likely to meet the three-year deadline given for
implementation-the mandate requires enormous structural changes.
Furthermore, there is nothing to indicate that this program would
produce any security gains. But every indication suggests that this
mandate will have a tremendous impact on the supply chain by
hindering efforts to move goods around the United States. Congress
should reassess the need for such a policy.
The Right Kind of Security
Policies
Implementing the right kinds of aviation security policies will
ensure that Americans can travel freely and safely with the
knowledge that their privacy and civil liberties are being
maintained. DHS deserves kudos for designing a program-Secure
Flight-that achieves these goals.
Jena Baker McNeill is a
homeland security policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation.