More airlines said Friday they will start asking for personal information from passengers about flights to the US to improve their contact tracking capabilities.
Airlines for America, an industry association representing leading U.S. 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 pass it on to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The information obtained includes the legal name of each passenger, two telephone numbers, an email address and the address where the passenger is staying in the US
Delta Airlines and United Airlines have been collecting that information since December.
“The implementation of an international passenger contact tracking program is yet another measure in our multi-tiered approach to reduce risk and assure the traveling public that both US carriers and the federal government are prioritizing the health and safety of passengers and crew,” said Airlines for America President Nicholas Calio.
US airlines have long resisted government requests to collect information on their flyers, claiming that this would place high demands on companies to upgrade computer systems and train employees to collect the information.
However, Calio said the airlines would provide the information in part to try to push lawmakers to lift travel restrictions put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
“We hope that this measure, coupled with the existing testing requirements for passengers flying to the US, will encourage policymakers to lift travel restrictions so that international travel can resume and the social and economic benefits of those travel can be realized”, Calio said.