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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 30, 2001

U.S. Customs Wants Passenger Lists From 58 Airlines

Starting November 29, passengers on as many as 58 international airlines ---including several U.S. carriers--- could face long waits entering the USA because of luggage searches threatened by the Customs Service.


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Starting November 29, passengers on as many as 58 international airlines --including several U.S. carriers --could face long waits entering the USA because of luggage searches threatened by the Customs Service.

After passage of the new aviation security act, Customs told 58 carriers last week that it would start intensive searches of all checked and carry-on luggage unless those airlines provide advance lists of passengers aboard flights bound for the USA, to identify potential terrorists. Most major U.S. and foreign airlines are among 94 carriers that already voluntarily provide that information to Customs.

Although several U.S. and foreign carriers among the 58 say they are working to comply, Customs said passenger searches would begin November 29 anyway.

The 58 airlines that Customs has contacted include such high-profile Asian and Middle Eastern carriers as Pakistan International Airlines, Royal Jordanian Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines.

But the mandate also covers U.S.-based carriers whose international flights go only to Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas or the Caribbean. Those airlines include America West and American Trans Air, and regional carriers Horizon Air, Comair and Midwest Express.

Aeroflot Russian Airlines' top U.S. manager said he was surprised by the letter, which he didn't receive in his New York office until after press reports naming his airline had surfaced. This week, Aeroflot signed an agreement to provide Customs with advance passenger lists and has scheduled a meeting for Tuesday to iron out technical details.

Customs' passenger-information system checks air passengers' names, birth dates and countries against several government databases at the time a flight departs for the USA. Customs asked airlines to cooperate voluntarily in 1988.

The security act requires all airlines entering the USA to comply by January, but Customs is pressing for immediate compliance.

The law requires airlines to provide Customs with not only passport and visa information, but also complete itineraries for passengers and crew members before planes land in the USA.




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