EU, U.S. Agree on Air Passenger Data

By ROBERT WIELAARD

LUXEMBOURG – European Union and U.S. negotiators reached a deal on the sharing of trans-Atlantic air passenger data used in anti-terror investigations, diplomats said Friday.

Details of the deal were not immediately available.

The EU diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because EU government representatives had not yet been formally notified of the deal.

A 2004 trans-Atlantic air passenger privacy deal – which the EU high court voided last May for technical reasons – lapsed after negotiators missed an Oct. 1 deadline.

Negotiations collapsed last week when EU negotiators – seeking a simple replacement accord – could not agree to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff’s request for a more routine sharing of passenger data among U.S. law enforcement agencies.

Reaching a new deal had been an EU priority to ensure airlines can continue to legally submit 34 pieces of data about passengers flying from Europe to U.S. destinations. Such data – including passengers’ names, addresses and credit card details – must be transferred to U.S. authorities within 15 minutes of a flight’s departure for the United States.

Washington had warned that airlines failing to share passenger data faced fines of up to $6,000 per passenger and the loss of landing rights.