1) SECURE FLIGHT
Mandatory procedure: Secure Flight Program
In order to enhance the security of air travel, the Transportation Security Administration has implemented the Secure Flight Program. Secure Flight is a behind the scenes program that enhances the security of commercial air travel through the use of improved watch list matching. By collecting additional passenger data, it will improve the travel experience for all airline passengers, including those who have been misidentified in the past.
To comply with the TSA’s secure flight policy, all passengers flying to/from the U.S. or over U.S. airspace (examples: Canada, Mexico and Cuba), must provide the following information at the time of ticket issuance or no later then 72 hours prior to departure:
- Full name as it appears on passenger’s passport
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Redress number (if available)
Failure to provide your personal information may result in denial of transport or denial of authority to enter the boarding area. For tickets booked on alitalia.com or through the Call Center, please provide this information to the Alitalia Call Center at 1800 223 5730. For tickets purchased through your travel agency, please contact your travel agent directly to provide the requested information.
Mandatory details can be sent or modified online, or via the call centre.
Alitalia will send the information you provide to the TSA where it will be matched against the No Fly and Selectee watch lists. Most passengers should not experience any differences when traveling.
For more information on the Secure Flight Program, visit www.tsa.gov.
2) Visa Waiver Program
If you are seeking to travel to the US for a stay of 90 days or less, you have a return ticket, your home country or your country of nationality participates in the Visa Waiver Program, you can travel to the US applying for an advance travel authorization called ESTA without obtaining a visa, but only if you have a:
- Machine-readable passport with an integrated chip issued or renewed/extended before 10/26/05
- Machine-readable passport with digital photographs issued or renewed/extended between 10/26/05 and 10/25/06
- E-Passport issued or renewed/extended on or after 10/26/06
Each passenger, including infants and children, must have his/her own passport, in compliance with the above-mentioned standards.
The countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, United Kingdom.
Therefore, if you meet these requirements and you are visiting or transiting in the US, you must apply for an advance travel authorization called E.S.T.A. (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) completing the online ESTA application on the dedicated website; as of September 8, 2010 a $14 payment for this procedure is required and can be done directly on the E.S.T.A website.
The denial of ESTA results in the denial of authority to enter the boarding area.
3) Collection of fingerprints or digital photographs upon arrival in the U.S.
On arrival in the U.S., travellers are subjected to the collection of personal information and the collection of 10 fingerprints and digital photographs at U.S. ports of entry. In order to check the suitability of your identification documents, please contact the US consulate or visit the US Embassy website.
4) Communication of personal data when flying to Canada and Japan
If you are travelling to Canada or Japan you must supply personal data: you can do it directly online.
