'We are working diligently'; TSA wants to fix 'false positives.' Secure Flight program will help.

Keeping known terrorists off airplanes is one of the obvious first steps of transportation security. The no-fly list is the primary method that makes this possible. Today, anybody identified as a "no-fly" is kept from boarding flights to or in the USA. That's the good news.

The bad news is that today, the government has to rely on the airlines to match the name with the person. There is no reason to think that this system is letting "no-flys" on planes, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that many ordinary travelers get wrongly drawn into the no-fly filter.

The simple truth is that no 6-year-old is on a U.S. government watch list. That's why airlines can and should instantly deselect individuals, such as the 6-year-old mentioned in Wednesday's USA TODAY story, who obviously don't pose any terrorist threat. We realize that scrutinizing people who pose no threat is not only inconvenient to travelers but also distracts us from our crucial mission.

The Department of Homeland Security Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) exists to separate real threats from legitimate travelers.

DHS TRIP applicants are generally travelers with names similar to individuals correctly on the list. We are working diligently to process TRIP applications as quickly as possible while ensuring that known or suspected terrorists cannot manipulate the system.

How do we fix this? Secure Flight is the program that will move watch list-matching inside the government. This will greatly resolve the "false positive" issue and provide thorough and accurate vetting of all travelers.

So, when is this going to be fixed? The government wants it resolved quickly for security reasons (it is a core 9/11 Commission recommendation); travelers want it resolved quickly for security reasons and to eliminate the hassle of false positive matches.

TSA is working with the Congress to fund the program as part of fiscal year 2008 appropriations. When Secure Flight is up and running, the trip through the airport will be easier for travelers and more difficult for those who would do us harm.

Kip Hawley is administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.