New TSA rules take flight with LI airport passengers

A new federal program for checking travelers against the government's No Fly list completed a smooth takeoff Monday, passengers at Long Island MacArthur Airport said.

When purchasing a plane ticket, passengers are now required to give the airline their date of birth, gender and full name as it appears on a government-issued I.D., such as passport or driver's license. The Transportation Security Administration uses that information to clear passengers for travel before the airline can issue a boarding pass.

"I think it's a good idea," said William Milken, 47, of Patchogue, arriving on a flight from Orlando. "If you've got nothing to hide, you should have no problem with it."

Southwest Airlines, which operates most of the flights at MacArthur, adopted the new system in March, said Paul Flaningan, a spokesman for Southwest, adding that few of the airline's customers have experienced problems.

A TSA spokesman said he could not provide information on how many passengers encountered hiccups Monday with the new system. Passengers at MacArthur Monday said the new requirement was painless - a few more keystrokes when purchasing their ticket online.

"I just have to remember to put my maiden name on it, because I never use my maiden name," said Barbara Lewis, 62, who was heading home to Sunrise, Fla., after visiting her grandchildren in Lake Ronkonkoma. "It's not that much of an inconvenience. If it helps with security, I think it's a good idea."

Airlines had a year to adopt TSA's passenger data requirements after the "Secure Flight" program was announced in October 2009. Monday was the deadline for airlines to implement those requirements. The information must now be submitted within 72 hours of a flight, or at the time of purchase, for last-minute travel.

The passenger's information is then checked against the federal No-Fly list before the boarding passes are issued.

Once passengers receive their boarding passes, the screening process is already complete. So passengers shouldn't have a problem at the airport checkpoint if the name on the boarding pass does not exactly match the name on the passport or driver's license, the TSA said. Airlines sometimes abbreviate middle names on boarding passes, the agency said.

Lynn Cohen, assistant manager at Hillside Travel, a travel agency in Hicksville, said none of her customers have experienced problems with the new clearance requirement, which adds about a minute to the reservation process.

"We ask them to give it exactly as it appears on their driver's license or passport," she said. "Sometimes they ask why, but no one has any objection to it."

New TSA rules for flying

Air travelers are now required

to give the airline their date of birth, gender and full name as it appears on a government-issued I.D., such as passport or driver's license.

Then the TSA checks that information

against the government's No Fly list to clear passengers for travel before the airline can issue a boarding pass.

The information must be submitted

within 72 hours of flight, or at the time of purchase, for last-minute travel.