Secure Flight is the Transportation Security Administration’s program for streamlining the watch list matching process. Secure Flight is designed to improve the travel experience for all passengers, including those who have been misidentified in the past. This is welcome news if you or your guest travelers have the same or similar name to someone on the watch list.
What’s Changing for Non-revs?
Not a lot. Watch list matching happens before a boarding pass is ever issued, so checking in and passing through security will stay the same as it is today. For some travelers, however, updating their name information may help differentiate them from individuals on the government watch list. Bottom line is, Secure Flight does not affect the vast majority of travelers, but may help those who had been misidentified before.
Typically, you can only update existing names in Traveler Information in the event of marriage/divorce/adoption but from September 1 – October 31, 2010, you have a limited opportunity to update or correct your name and guest travelers’ names in Jetnet’s Traveler Information so they match valid government issued identification used for travel.
With the routine use of nicknames, hyphenated names or omitting middle names in the Traveler Information database over the years, a lot of employees, retirees and their guests are not Secure Flight ready. Please check your Traveler Information list to be sure.
If you don’t make the necessary update/corrections, when the next phase of Secure Flight is launched on November 1, 2010, you or your guest travelers may be prevented from checking in and/or denied boarding.
Source: Jetnet “Last Call to Get Secure Flight Ready “