EU, US agree passenger information deal

Anyone flying to America will now find airlines will have to pass on numerous personal details to US authorities, it was disclosed today.

Information to be provided will involve up to 34 different bits of data, including credit card numbers and home addresses.

Carriers could now find themselves snowed under, gathering and processing all the data.

Part of the fight against terrorism, the information scheme had been resisted by the EU on privacy grounds.

But now a deal has been agreed between the EU and the US and airlines such as Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic will be obliged to pass on passenger information.

However, American authorities have insisted the information will be used only in the fight against terrorism or for “serious other crimes”.

Also, the data would be stored for only three and a half years instead of the original 50 and the arrangement would then be reviewed.

The EU and America had been in dispute for some time over the extent of information to be passed on, with airlines caught in the middle.

A British Airways spokesman said today: “BA welcomes the effort of the EU and the US Department of Homeland Security in resolving the impasse on passenger information.

“We will continue to work with the EU to establish the optimum way to filter data that is not to be transferred.”