New US secure flight rules come into force from Nov 1

MUMBAI - Travellers to the United States will have to furnish additional personal information on all bookings from Nov 1 as authorities there would enforce new rules for all international and domestic flights from that date.

All passengers shall be required to include their date of birth and gender besides their full name on all bookings at least 72 hours before their planned departure.

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wants passengers to provide complete secure flight passenger data when booking reservations so that it can conduct watch list matching and approve airlines to issue a boarding pass.

This would apply to all international flights to and from the US, as well as domestic flights within the US.

The Nov 1 deadline marks the end of the year-long grace period for airlines to clear out their systems of older reservations made before Secure Flight requirements took effect in October 2009.

According to a spokesperson for Lufthansa, the airline has asked all passengers travelling to the US on or after Nov 1, who have made bookings and hold tickets, to ensure that the full secure flight passenger data is completed not later than 72 hours before the departure.

Passengers who do not comply with the requirements may be refused boarding, Lufthansa said.