More airlines said on Friday that they would start requesting personal information from passengers on flights to the United States to increase their ability to track contacts.
Airlines for America, an industry trade group that represents major US airlines, said on Friday that Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines would collect the information and transmit it to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The information obtained will include each passenger’s legal name, two phone numbers, an email address and the address where the passenger will be based in the USA
Delta Airlines and United Airlines have been collecting this information since December.
“The implementation of a contact tracking program for international passengers is yet another measure in our multi-layered approach to mitigate risk and assure the public that both US airlines and the federal government are prioritizing the health and safety of passengers and of the crew, ”said Airlines to America President Nicholas Calio.
US airlines have long resisted government requests for them to collect information from their pamphlets, claiming that this would impose heavy taxes on companies that would have to update their computer systems and train employees to collect the information.
However, Calio said the airlines would provide the information in part to try to pressure lawmakers to lift the travel restrictions that were put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
“We are hopeful that this measure, together with the existing test requirements for passengers flying to the US, will lead lawmakers to lift travel restrictions so that international travel can resume and the social and economic benefits of these trips can be realized. ”Said Calio.