DATE: April 9, 2009
ATTN: Travel Manager/Arranger/Travelers

As part of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the U.S. Department of Homland Security's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required to screen all airline passengers against its "No Fly" lists.  This law requires the TSA to assume responsibility for conducting pre-flight comparison of passenger information to Federal government terrorist watch lists - a job that until now has been performed by the airlines.

Transition to the new Secure Flight program will occur in phases, beginning with flights operating within the United States then extending to flights into, out of and over the United States.  At this time, information from the TSA and airlines suggest that no mandatory requirements for travelers will be put in place before August 15, 2009.

The most important requirement under the new Secure Flight rules is that the full name (first, middle and last), date of birth, and gender listed on a traveler's government-issued identification (i.e., driver's license, passport, etc.) presented at check-in for flights match EXACTLY with the name transmitted by airlines in that traveler's reservation.

Issues to be determined:

• If final TSA rules require names in reservations to match government-issued identification exactly, loyalty membership accounts may need to be modified.
• While there could be minor differences in Secure Flight implementation from one airline to another, we believe most airlines will follow a common process.
• Special procedures for accommodating non-profiled travelers and travelers walking up without a reservation have not yet been determined by the airlines.
• Matching names exactly on every travel-related account is not required at this time.  Accomplishing this task on a wide scale could require significant effort.  That said, individual travelers wishing to change their profiles and frequent flyer accounts so that names exactly match those on government-issured IDs can do so.

Travel One strongly encourages our clients to check the TSA Web site for official updates.  The web site includes a communications toolkit for providing key information to those affected by the program.

It is important to understand that providing the additional information under Secure Flight will help differentiate a passenger from an individual on a watch list and prevent misidentification.

Travel One will continue to keep our clients informed of news and information that may affect their corporate travel program. Please contact your Travel One reservationist at 952-854-2555 or 1-800-245-1111 for the most current travel information.

For vacation travel, call Travel One at 952-854-2551 or 800-247-1311 and ask for a Leisure Agent.