New program to demand children show ID to fly: Air India inquiry

Kids who appear to be 12 or over are going to have to produce government ID if they want to fly within Canada starting June 18, the Air India inquiry in Ottawa heard Tuesday.
The inquiry also heard Tuesday that a new machine that allows a detailed scan of a passenger's body could be used at some Canadian airports in a pilot project as early as fall 2007.
The new Passenger Protect Program, which also includes the Canadian version of a no-fly list, is being implemented by Transport Canada later this month to improve aviation security. But parents -- not prospective terrorists -- could be inconvenienced most if they show up for a flight without the proper identification for their children.
Air India inquiry commissioner John Major also wondered how young children are going to have the requisite paperwork for air travel.
"What kind of ID does a 12-year-old have?" Major asked Transport Canada official Brion Brandt.
The only government photo identification a child can get is a passport, but the airlines will also accept two pieces of non-photo ID, as long as they are government issue.
So a child should make it onto a flight if their parent can produce a birth certificate and a health card.
Major noted the strain on the system when the U.S. recently implemented a passport requirement for all air travelers into the country.allows a detailed scan of a passenger's body could be used at some Canadian airports in a pilot project as early as fall 2007.A company specializing in "millimetre wavelength technology" has already agreed to participate in the pilot, Transport Canada official Jean Barrette told the Ottawa inquiry.The technology allows for a computer image to be generated of a person as they enter a chamber to be scanned, revealing any hidden weapons or objects that could pose a threat to a plane or its passengers, Barrette said.
05/06/07 Kim Bolan/CanWest News Service/National Post, Canada

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Air India Jun 2007, Foreign Jun 2007, Safety Jun 2007