Increased security checks, lengthy queues at border control, mistaken identities - frequent fliers can face a rash of hassles when moving about the global marketplace. We find out if registered traveller programmes offer relief.

After a 10-hour flight from London, a British journalist was going through passport control in Fort Worth, Texas when he was asked to step aside.

Frequent flyers want speedy immigration clearance

Led into a room by several officers, they began asking him questions about his opinions on the US president, if he had an email account, if British police officers had come to his home, and whether he had ever been in a mental institution.

"Even though they were quite pleasant, it was quite frightening," said Simon, a journalist with a top UK-based news organisation who asked to have a pseudonym used for this article.

Simon was eventually informed that someone with his namesake and a similar physical description had sent threatening emails to US President George W Bush. But Simon explained that his home address did not match the actual suspect. In fact, the two addresses were on opposite sides of London. After 40 minutes of questioning, Simon was released.

"I don’t know why they couldn't use all the data they have on their system… to figure out that I wasn't that person," said Simon.  "Their intelligence must have been pretty good but not that good."

In the US on business, Simon missed his connecting flight and arrived considerably later than planned at his destination.

The recognition that post-September 11 security issues may be hindering the pace of the global marketplace is driving the development of registered traveller programmes. 

The idea is to give pre-screened and pre-authorised travellers fast-track passage through sometimes lengthy border control queues. Though a reality in few airports, a growing number of pilot projects for registered traveller programmes are springing up.

In the US, an effort is just beginning to enable programme members arriving at New York's John F Kennedy International Airport to clear immigration at self-service kiosks.

Users would present their machine-readable passport, submit their fingerprints for biometric verification, be photographed and make a declaration at the kiosk, according to a press released issued by the Department of Homeland Security when it announced the pilot in January. 

The US Department of Homeland Security is still ironing out a number of details, such as who will be eligible to participate as well as the procedures they will be subject to, said Anna Hinken, a DHS spokesperson. The pilot programme is expected to get underway by summer, she said.

US officials are looking at a programme launched at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport in 2001 as a model.

Privium was developed for frequent fliers as a time-saving service and uses biometric data to verify an individual's identification. Subscribers, who must be a national from within the European Economic Area, have their iris scanned and recorded on a chip in their membership card when they enrol.

When catching a flight, Privium subscribers use their membership card to pass through the border check. A photo of the iris, which has 266 distinct points, is taken and checked against the one stored on the membership card.

The biometric data exists solely on the user's access card, as it would be a violation of European Union privacy protection laws to store it in a database, said Marianne de Bie, a spokesperson for the Schiphol Group.

Fees, which start at 99 euros annually, entitle members to parking spaces closer to the terminal and business class check-in privileges with participating airlines. Subscribers report it can take as little as 10 minutes to get from the parking lot to the gate, said De Bie.

Such fast-track systems between airports are likely to develop initially in clusters. And the ultimate vision is to allow registered frequent fliers pass through borders in airports worldwide without delay, said Hinken at the DHS.

In exchange for being fast-tracked, users may be asked to give up some privacy protection when registering for such programmes.

"Bear in mind that despite a wealth of privacy laws, the US does not have a concept of Data Protection as we understand it in Europe, and so long as you have given informed consent of your intentions, it is unlikely that they will be seriously challenged," said Toby Stevens, managing director of Enterprise Privacy Group, a UK-based membership body and consultancy specialising in privacy management issues.

Though registered traveller programmes will be voluntary, the switch to biometric passports will be mandatory.

Incorporating biometric data, such as facial recognition and fingerprints, into passports is intended to make passports more secure, reducing identity theft and counter-fit passports, said Kelly Richdale, managing director of EMEA for A4Vision, which has developed 3D facial recognition technology.

The biometric data will be stored on tiny chips within the passport. There has been some criticism that a lack of encryption will make the data insecure.

"Biometrics can be spoofed but it's certainly a lot safer than losing your current passport," said Richdale.

Stevens agreed that in most cases, a more trusted international identity will help an individual to protect their identity.

"It's a double-edged sword," he said. "It's harder to steal your identity but it's harder to prove your identity."

Useful links

Privium: www.schiphol.nl/privium

March 2005

Jennifer Hamm is a freelance journalist based in the Netherlands. She can be contacted through her website at www.JenniferHamm.com

Subject: Business travellers and passports