UK: 53 Pieces of Personal Info Required to Book a Flight

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Terror crackdown: Passengers forced to answer 53 questions BEFORE they travel
By JAMES SLACK
Last updated at 14:01pm on 15th November 2007

Travellers face price hikes and confusion after the Government unveiled plans to take up to 53 pieces of information from anyone entering or leaving Britain.

For every journey, security officials will want credit card details, holiday contact numbers, travel plans, email addresses, car numbers and even any previous missed flights. Read More...

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The 53 Questions
1. Full name
2. Gender
3. Date of birth
4. Nationality
5. Type of travel document
6. Travel document number
7. Issuing country of travel document
8. Expiry date
9. Registration of any vehicle used to travel
10. Place of birth
11. Issue date of travel
12. UK visa or entry clearance expiry date
13. Booking reference number
14. Date of reservation
15. Date(s) of intended travel
16. Passenger name (if different to full name)
17. Other passengers on same booking
18. Passenger's address
19. Form of payment, including any credit card number
20. Billing address
21. Contact numbers, including hotel or relative being visited
22. Travel itinerary and route
23. Frequent flyer information (miles flown and addresses)
24. Travel agency
25. Person at travel agent who made booking
26. Reference number of any shared booking
27. Status of booking e.g. confirmed, wait-listed
28. Details of passengers on booking with a different itinerary
29. E-mail address
30. Ticket number and date of issue
31. Any other information the ticket agent considers of interest
32. Number on ticket
33. Reserved seat number
34. Date ticket is issued
35. No show history
36. Bag tag numbers
37. Details of whether travel arrangements are 'flexible'
38. Names of any infants or staff in traveling party
39. Is traveler an unaccompanied minor?
40. Details of who made the booking
41. All historical changes to travel arrangements
42. Number of travelers in party
43. Seat information, including whether first class
44. Is the ticket one-way only?
45. Any other biographical information
46. Cost of fare
47. Check-in time
48. Actual seat number
49. How much luggage checked-in
50. Check-in agent's initials
51. Out-bound travel indicator
52. Where did journey begin, if not first-leg of trip
53. Group indicator of whether a party is a family or friends etc

I love the "infants or staff" on #38.

That is just a tad on the overdoing it side if you ask me.

By the time you answer all the questions you will have missed your flight!

The interesting thing is that the UK has left off one thing that the US is very interested in - if the traveller ordered a special (read: Halal) meal. With the passport, the ticket, and the Customs entry card, most of this information can be put together, but obtaining it all at the same time ensures that everything is inputted into the same record at an early part of the travel process. It's also worth noting that all of this information is useless unless it can be shared with the right agencies at the right time. I straddle opposite sides of the issue in my personal and professional lives, and realize how important it is for this type of information to be safeguarded and used only by the right people for legitimate and limited uses.