NBTA Lauds Redress Inquiry Announced by U.S. Homeland Security

Association Views Program as a Healthy Step Towards Streamlining, Simplifying Travel Experience in U

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. October 14, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC, January 19, 2006. The National Business Travel Association, the leading provider of advocacy on behalf of the corporate travel industry, lauds the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) announcement of a Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (TRIP) aimed at providing travelers with a single, easy-to-use point of access for travel-related questions. The program, unveiled earlier this week by DHS officials, stems from travel industry officials and the traveling public's pleas for a system to rectify misidentification issues and instances in which travelers are incorrectly delayed, denied boarding or subjected to increased scrutiny at U.S. airports and other transportation hubs.

NBTA President and CEO Suzanne Fletcher remarked, 'NBTA has been calling for simplified redress processes on behalf of its members for years. The association is pleased its efforts were recognized by DHS officials and commends the agency for moving forward with the vision for travel security the Departments of State and Homeland Security outlined early last year.'

Fletcher continued, 'The healthy conduct of business travel is essential to the U.S. and global economies. By introducing a system that will give business travelers a simplified process to address issues they may encounter at security checkpoints when traveling, our nation is assured that commerce is not negatively impacted by national security efforts.'

Execution of the DHS TRIP system is expected to take place on February 20, 2007. At this time, the system will collect and process traveler redress inquiries and route them to the appropriate DHS department for review. Individuals submitting redress inquiries through the system will be able to track the progress of information collected throughout the process online. Further information, including how to file and monitor a redress inquiry, will be announced prior to the system's launch next month. Additionally, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) recent announcement that it will review the names on the nation's terrorist watch list for accuracy should help reduce the number of travelers mistakenly misidentified at security check points.

Fletcher added, 'Both of these steps - the introduction of a simplified redress process and the review of TSA terrorist watch lists - are vital to preventing unnecessary havoc on travelers. NBTA looks forward to working with these and other government bodies on behalf of the corporate travel industry throughout the coming year to refine and enhance these processes to improve the experiences for thousands of travelers.'

NBTA is recognized as the voice of corporate travel on Capitol Hill. Through the association's advocacy efforts, NBTA strives to inform and enlighten elected officials and agency representatives about the importance of business travel to the nation's economy and the impact of government regulations on commerce, as well as represent the views and concerns of the business travel community. NBTA looks forward to continued interaction with DHS to ensure the DHS TRIP system and other initiatives put forth by the department take into consideration the viability of business travel, respect traveler privacy, and avoid undue burdens on business.

The National Business Travel Association is the source for critical information on the business travel industry. For more than 35 years, NBTA has dedicated itself to the professional development of its members through advocacy, education and training, and networking opportunities. NBTA represents over 2,700 corporate and government travel managers and travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than $170 billion of expenditures within the business travel industry. For more on NBTA, visit www.nbta.org.