The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has slammed a US government proposal that airlines collect biometric information from all non-citizens departing America.
It says this would require the industry to invest billions in new equipment - and the staff to operate it.
"Airlines are committed to working with governments to help facilitate efficient immigration and border protection," says IATA director general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani. "We need solutions that are efficient, effective and convenient. Today's proposal does not meet any of these criteria," adds Bisignani in a statement issued in Washington DC.
"Border protection and immigration are government responsibilities," the IATA chief says. "Airline counter staff are not a substitute for trained border patrol officers. And outsourcing exit formalities to airlines is not a responsible approach."
If the measure is implemented, IATA member SAA, which flies out of the US, will also be affected.
Bisignani says the American proposal is out of kilter with moves in the aviation industry, especially the drive to IT-driven self-service. "Airlines spent the last four years using technology to respond to travellers' desire for self-service. Our 'Simplifying the Business' programme is moving passenger check-in online or to kiosks. Sending passengers back into counter queues is a big step backward."
He adds the proposal is also out of step with initiatives within the US Department of Homeland Security. "The Transportation Security Administration is already working on a security checkpoint of the future. Why is Customs and Border Protection not working with its sister agency to combine the exit process into an automated solution that is both convenient and effective?"
Initial modelling of the proposed procedures shows an additional one-minute, per passenger check-in delay to comply with the new procedures. About 33 million international passengers leaving US airports would have to submit biometric information.
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