BIG BROTHER WATCH:Airlines think fingerprinting plan won't fly

WASHINGTON-U.S. air carriers are fighting a federal proposal that would require workers to digitally scan foreigners' fingerprints at check-in areas before departure on international flights.Airline representatives, who have spent years trying to streamline airport operations and encourage passengers to use kiosks and print boarding passes at home, worry that collecting fingerprints would create major snarls."It creates a choke point in the check-in process," said Jim May, president of the Air Transport Association, a trade group that represents the major U.S. airlines.May and other airline representatives have recently increased their lobbying on the fingerprinting regulation, which the Department of Homeland Security is expected to publish for public comment in the next few months.Government officials defended the proposal, saying they think that relying on airline workers at counters would be the most efficient way to collect the prints. The information is meant to help authorities find criminals, potential terrorists and people who illegally overstay their visas.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003750387_prints16.html
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