Information rules tighten for flying

No full name, date of birth or gender on your airline reservation? Then no boarding pass, according to a security rule that goes into effect soon.

The final phase of the Transportation Security Administration’s Secure Flight program requires airlines to collect complete information from passengers at the time they book their flights. Passengers who do not enter all information at least 72 hours prior to departure will not be able to print out boarding passes. Instead, they will need to provide the information at the airline counter before a pass is issued.

The regulation is designed to aid the TSA in vetting travelers against government watch lists – and to smooth the process for passengers who have names similar to those flagged as risks.

Details of the new rules

• The rule applies to all travel commencing Nov. 1 on all flights on domestic airlines; international carriers are expected to be on board by the end of the year.

• Passengers will have to supply first, middle and last name as it appears on the government photo identification used for traveling; date of birth; and gender. Passengers who incorrectly have been identified as a flight risk must also enter their redress number.

• Passengers who previously booked flights for travel after Nov. 1 and didn’t include the full information must fill in the blanks at least 72 hours before departure. That’s when the TSA starts vetting the reservations. After the Nov. 1 deadline, the agency won’t allow boarding passes to be printed if the full passenger information is incomplete.