No-Fly List in the US
Following the events on 9/11, security has increased around flying to, within, or from the US. While there are many different databases related to security threats, this article will focus on one of them: the No Fly List. The List is run by the Terrorist Screening Center and is intended to bar entry to the US to the named individuals. This article provides a brief overview of the List and how it works.
Boarding the Aircraft
A person on the No Fly List cannot board a commercial flight to, within, or from the US. Furthermore, they also cannot be on an aircraft that flies over US air space, either. However, the List has come under major scrutiny by civil liberties group as they argue the List creates concerns surrounding privacy and false positives.
One of the issues with the List is that individuals are not notified if they have been placed on the List. They only find out once they arrive at the airport and try to board their flight but get denied by the airline because their name was on the No Fly List. Moreover, in most of situations, people are not given an answer as to why they are on the List in the first place. The List does not include a photo of the person; therefore, a large number of people get routinely scrutinized or denied boarding because their name matches that of an actual terrorist.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been a vocal critic of the List and has filed suits due to its ramifications. Besides lawsuits, some of the ways people have managed to cope with the List is by applying for the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program. Once approved, the program provides people with false positives a Redress Control Number, which allows them to confirm with the airline that while they are on the List, they are not the terrorist in question.
