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Flying To the US? Pay In Cash

Posted by kdawson on from the emerging-details dept.

pin_gween writes to point us to a report in the Telegraph that British travelers using a credit card to purchase their ticket may now have their credit card and email accounts inspected by US authorities. This has been true since October, when the US and the EU agreed about what information the US could demand from airlines and how this information would be handled. But details of the agreement only recently came to light following a Freedom of Information request. The US says it will "encourage" US carriers to reciprocate to any requests by European governments. From the article: "[T]he Americans are entitled to 34 separate pieces of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data... Initially, such material could be inspected for seven days but a reduced number of US officials could view it for three and a half years. Should any record be inspected during this period, the file could remain open for eight years...'It is pretty horrendous, particularly when you couple it with our one-sided extradition arrangements with the US,' said [a human rights activist]. 'It is making the act of buying a ticket a gateway to a host of personal email and financial information. While there are safeguards, it appears you would have to go to a US court to assert your rights.'"

4 of 452 comments (clear)

  1. Just when paying? by GC · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Some airlines only allow you to do Online Check-in by confirming your identity with your credit card number.
    Some express-check-in's require you to either insert your credit card to get your boarding pass printed (or your frequent flyer card).
    If I want better fares by booking online I will have to use a credit card too, not seen any airlines accept Paypal etc...

    In short it seems that to take advantage of any fast-track system that saves on man-power and hassle for both the customer or airline I now have to give up my life's credit history.

    Glum.

  2. fly to canada by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Instead of paying cash, fly to Canada or Mexico and then take a ground route into the US...

  3. Police State Logic by HappySqurriel · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I could be wrong ...

    But I thought the standard logic in Police States (we can argue whether the US is a Police state another time) was that if you were unwilling to lose your privacy you must have something to hide. Hypothetically speaking, if you (heaven forbid) were a minority which could perhaps be from a Terrorism supporting country and you payed by cash wouldn't that ensure that you got the long trip through security?

  4. umm,... by zxnos · · Score: 3, Interesting
    dont you need, like, a passport or something to fly into and out of the u.s.? doesnt that sorta ruin your privacy? i mean, like, they know you are entering the country as soon as you get here.

    sounds like they are trying to be informed about 'bob the nutcase who wants to kill you becuase you are different' before he hits the u.s. soil.

    --
    always mosh clockwise