WashingtonWire - 2004-08-16

Bush Extends Biometric Passport Deadline…

President Bush last week signed into law legislation extending by 12 months the October 2004 deadline requiring passengers from visa waiver countries to have passports containing biometric information that can be scanned by computer. "This is a significant accomplishment for the travel and tourism industry as it will help ensure that travelers from visa waiver program countries who planned to visit the U.S. this fall don't cancel their plans to come here," said Jonathan Tisch, chairman of the Travel Business Roundtable and chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels. TBR had warned that not all passport offices in participating visa waiver countries were equipped to meet the new U.S. regulation. It said enforcing a deadline for the program to be implemented this year would disrupt travel and lead to a decline in visitors from those countries.

…As DHS Expands Alien Biometric Exit Pilot

Foreign citizens departing the United States beginning this month will have to provide digital fingerprints and pose for a photograph when they leave this country at 11 airports, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said. The pilot project, under US-VISIT, eventually may become standard procedure for exiting the United States. The information will be cross-referenced with similar biometric information provided by the visa carrier upon entry to the United States, officials said. "We must implement a straightforward exit process to ensure that individuals adhere to the terms of their admission," said Asa Hutchinson, DHS undersecretary for border and transportation security. Exiting travelers either will provide the digital fingerprints and have their photos taken at an automated kiosk or with the assistance of an immigration official. The traveler will receive a printed receipt verifying the exit process has been completed, which must be presented to an airline official at the departure gate. The procedure already is in effect at Baltimore Washington airport and at Miami International's Cruise Line terminal. It will be expanded to Chicago O'Hare this month, and 10 other airports in September, including Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Newark, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, San Juan and Seattle.

FAA Extends Price Break On Terrorism Insurance

The Federal Aviation Administration extended until Dec. 31 a program that allows U.S. airlines to buy war-risk insurance from the federal government at below-market rates, saving those carriers about $560 million a year over what they would pay in premiums to private insurers in the aftermath of the 2001 terror attacks, the agency said. The discounted insurance program was due to expire at the end of the month. The House Appropriations Committee last month approved an extension of the low-cost insurance through 2005. The Senate has not yet acted on the proposal.

TSA Posts U.S. Airport Security Wait Histories

A new Web site launched last week by the Transportation Security Administration posts 28-day historical averages for security checkpoint wait times at every domestic airport, allowing travelers to tailor their itineraries to the times of less congestion. Visitors to the Web site, http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/index.html, must choose state, airport, day of the week and time they plan to travel to get the historical average for the five-hour period bracketing their departure time. Information on waiting times is posted daily, but it isn't available in real time, making it less useful for anticipating delays during holidays and when weather is disrupting flight schedules. TSA still recommends travelers check with airlines and airports for advice on when to arrive. FAA also reports systemwide or airport-specific delays on its Web site.