Homeland Security Agency Changes No-Fly List Policy

The Homeland Security Agency will now require airlines to submit passenger lists for government review before U.S.-bound flights take off from foreign airports.

The no-fly list, developed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, identifies individuals who have known or suspected links to terrorism, or who have been otherwise identified as a threat to aviation.

Currently, airlines have to submit their passenger lists for international flights 15 minutes after takeoff, but under the new plan, certain passengers would not be allowed to take off at all.

There have been several incidents in which airplanes have been forced to return to their takeoff point.

As recently as Aug. 7, an American Airlines flight from London to Boston was forced to turn back after a passenger was identified as being on the no-fly list. The flight already was well over the Atlantic Ocean when the passenger lists reached the FBI.

Many airlines have resisted the change saying it could delay flights because of problems with information technology, staffing and privacy concerns.

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