WASHINGTON – A extreme and troubling situation for vacationers might play out at airports this summer time journey season if Congress enacts an modification by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and John Kennedy (R-LA) to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization invoice.
According to a U.S. Travel Association evaluation, the proposed modification might lead to vacationers ready an further 120 million hours in TSA strains every year by considerably slowing each TSA PreCheck and normal screening lanes. Further, the senators’ proposal threatens nationwide safety by successfully banning TSA’s use of facial recognition know-how for non-PreCheck passengers–which mal-intentioned people might exploit.
The proposed modification to FAA reauthorization is harmful, pricey and threatens to create chaos at America’s airports. Eliminating the usage of biometrics–corresponding to facial scans–will set America again by a long time and solely misinformed members of Congress are in charge. Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association
The Merkley/Kennedy Amendment would implement an entire and complete ban on TSA’s use of Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) till TSA complies with pricey and unworkable necessities, resulting in an intense interval of anticipated journey chaos as TSA retrains employees, removes and redeploys know-how, and reconfigures screening lanes–all on the expense of aviation safety.
The proposal would additionally ban the usage of FRT for non-trusted vacationers and cease growth of FRT matching know-how to new airports till May 2027, whereas stopping growth and enrollment in TSA PreCheck Touchless Identity Solution past present clients and 6 airports the place it’s in use right now (ATL, DTW, LAX, LGA, JFK and ORD).
This proposed laws threatens to show America’s airports into the equal of school bars the place pretend IDs rule the day,
stated Freeman. TSA, to its credit score, is innovating with the newest safety know-how and members of Congress are threatening to face in its approach–on the expense of the journey expertise.
About U.S. Travel Association
U.S. Travel Association is the nationwide, non-profit group representing the $1.2 trillion journey trade, a necessary contributor to our nation’s economic system and success. U.S. Travel produces packages and insights and advocates for insurance policies to extend journey to and inside the United States. Visit ustravel.org for data and recovery-related knowledge.