TSA Administrator
Kip Hawley this week said the Secure Flight airline security program would be "operational sometime next year." According to
Federal Computer Week, Hawley also said the program's final rule would be published "by January 2009," before the end of the Bush Administration.
The Transportation Security Administration has not formally advanced the rulemaking process on the controversial program since a public comment period ended last November. A TSA official today told me that "we are working with carriers on testing."
Under the proposed rules first published in August 2007, TSA would collect data from airlines (which would be required to collect data from such third parties as travel agencies) on passengers booked on all flights operated within, to, from and over the United States. TSA would then check that data against terrorist watch lists and inform airlines of which passengers should and should not be issued boarding passes.
There are many skeptics, including privacy advocates, airlines and travel industry groups. Last year, some described the program as "unacceptable," "unrealistic," "unreasonable," and "imponderable."
Let's see if TSA can win over them over.