BUSINESS travel agents have welcomed a new agreement
on access to passenger name records by US authorities in the fight against
terrorism.
But they warn that further data required through the
US’s separate Advanced Passenger Information System could cost clients more
because of the time needed to collect it.
The Passenger Name Record for travellers to the US has
been accessed by US authorities since March, after airlines were told they
would be fined if they did not make data available.
But airlines were also told they could be contravening
European Union data protection laws, which could also lead to a fine.
The EU temporarily waived any legal action. But now a
permanent solution has been reached – with a limit of three-and-a-half years on
the time the 34 pieces of information per passenger can be kept, and controls
on who can access it and what it can be used for.
Alan Coles, chairman of the Guild of Business Travel
Agents air working party and managing director of P&O Business Travel,
said: “It is encouraging some limits and rules have been set on how the data is
used.”
But he warned the collection of data for APIS – likely
to come in later this year – had not been resolved. APIS will send up-to-date
passenger data to authorities as an aircraft departs.
“The GBTA is talking to the
airlines about the best way to collect the data.”