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Corps. putting CAPPS II direction in question.

Article Excerpt
Shaken by data dishonesty at Northwest Airlines and a burglary at ARC, corporate travel buyers are disturbed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's planned revision this spring of the computer assisted passenger prescreening system.

Meanwhile, the bipartisan commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, events that initiated CAPPS 11 is questioning the efficacy of passenger screening.

According to results of a poll last week by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, 129 of 150 corporate buyer members "support the concept of a passenger screening process, but not this one, as it leaves too many questions unanswered." Only 6 percent agreed that CAPPS II "will get the job done and needs to be implemented."

ACTE respondents want to know how verified passengers will be removed from the CAPPS II "suspect" list, how misidentified passengers will be reconciled at the airport mad which offenses could trigger "high risk" status or arrest. Those polled said ACTE should study the cost of CAPPS II-related delays and missed flights. Yet, DHS estimates that only up to 5 percent of passengers will be subjected to secondary screening, down from 15 percent today.

The Business Travel Coalition last week sent a letter signed by more than 30 corporate travel buyers to the Senate Commerce and the House Transportation and Infrastructure committees urging "hearings on CAPPS II and the growing data privacy problems." The National Business Travel Association is studying CAPPS II and plans to release a white paper by May.

Dozens of corporate buyers speaking with BTN in recent weeks expect CAPPS II to offer a number of challenges this year. Although many said travelers are not asking much about it, buyers expect to be hit with questions ranging from how to avoid secondary, screening--which DHS has said could be augmented by some sort of registered traveler program--to whether travelers' political beliefs, credit histories or racial profiles will impact their status.

The Bush Administration said it intends to collect...

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