New US airport fingerprint plan attacked
28.04.08
UK passengers flying home from the US could face longer queues, delayed departures and a greater risk of missed connections as a result of new US government security rules planned for next year, airline industry officials have said. If the new laws are approved, from January all non-US citizens will be fingerprinted when they leave the country as well as when they enter it.
Michael Chertoff, the US Homeland Security Secretary, described the proposals as ‘a quantum leap in America's border security’. However, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 240 airlines worldwide, has attacked the plan. IATA says it will require its workers to collect the fingerprints of departing passengers, effectively turning them into untrained and unpaid immigration officers.
Doug Lavin, regional vice-president of IATA, said: 'The impact on travel will be huge and flights to the UK are the best example of our concerns. We anticipate it will take an additional minute or so to fingerprint each person. Take a large aircraft of 300 people heading for London: that's an extra 300 minutes. We'll see flights delayed, they'll arrive late into Heathrow, so the next outbound flight will also be delayed. It's not just the US that will be affected – it will have a ripple effect everywhere.’
Mr Lavin added that the industry would be expected to shoulder the estimated £1.5bn - £3.75bn cost of the programme (in the first 10 years) at a time of record fuel prices, rising customer complaints and airline bankruptcies. He said: ‘If this is so important, why isn't the government paying for it?’
The US government says it wants fingerprinting on departure from the country to begin at airports and cruise ports on January 1 but will delay a final decision until the end of a 60-day consultation period.
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