More airlines said Friday they will begin requesting personal information from passengers about flights to the United States to bolster their contact tracking capabilities.
Airlines for America, an industry trade group representing major U.S. airlines, said Friday that Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines would collect the information and they would transmit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The information obtained will include the legal name of each passenger, two telephone numbers, an e-mail address and the address where the passenger will be staying in the USA.
Delta Airlines and United Airlines have been collecting this information since December.
“Implementing a contact location program for international passengers is one more measure in our multilayered approach to mitigating risk and assuring the traveling public that both U.S. airlines and the federal government prioritize health and safety. passenger and crew safety, ”he said. President of Airlines for America, Nicholas Calio.
U.S. airlines had long resisted government requests for information on their flyers, saying doing so would impose heavy taxes on companies that would have to upgrade computer systems and train employees to collect the information.
However, Calio said airlines would provide the information in part to try to pressure lawmakers to lift established travel restrictions to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
“We hope that this measure, along with existing testing requirements for passengers flying to the United States, will lead policymakers to lift travel restrictions so that international travel can be resumed and the social and economic benefits of this trip, ”Calio said.