Travellers to US facing increased pre-flight security

04/10/2005 - 07:35:54
Irish passengers flying to the United States will reportedly have to supply additional personal information in advance of their travel under new laws coming into force today.

Reports this morning said the US legislation required passengers to inform airlines in advance about their country of residence and the address they plan to stay at during their first night in the US.

Until now, such information was obtained by US immigration officials before passengers were allowed to board.

However, this morning's reports said Aer Lingus had begun e-mailing passengers to notify them that they must now supply the details in advance.

Previous US laws had already required airlines to supply a range of other information in advance, including the passengers’ identity, gender, nationality, date of birth and passport details.