An airline industry source speaking on the condition of anonymity told AIN that the first call to inform airlines of the procedures came from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on January 28, the day after the executive order took effect. At the time the airlines operated under what they construed as the intent of the January 27 executive order, which seemed to make clear that passengers with dual nationalities who carried a passport from one of the seven countries on the list could not enter the U.S. Similarly, it appeared to indicate that the ban would apply to permanent resident aliens holding so-called green cards.
Typically, in the case of security directives, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) holds a conference call with IATA and other industry stakeholders before any change takes place and clarifies any ambiguities in the order. IATA then places the relevant guidance into its Timatic database, wher airline check-in staff, for example, can determine whether or not to ticket a passenger based on his or her visa information. Not all airlines use Timatic, however, and in those cases they rely on written notification.
If an agent or staff member incorrectly allows a passenger to board a flight, the government can require the airline to fly the person in question back to their point of origin and/or issue a fine.
In this case, not until Sunday evening did the Department of Homeland Security issue guidance to indicating that airlines should accept whatever passport dual-nationality passengers present at check in. It also said that it would address green card holders on a “case-by-case basis.”
Still, airline personnel continue to flood IATA with questions on specific operational procedures airlines could not have formulated until they received clarification on several more issues. The source who spoke with AIN said that CPB has not communicated any plans for further conference calls.
“We ask for early clarity from the U.S. administration on the current situation,” said IATA in its statement. “Moreover, we urge all governments to provide sufficient advance coordination of changes in entry requirements so that travelers can clearly understand them and airlines can efficiently implement them.”
Meanwhile, UGICT-CGT Air-France, the unio representing Air France flight attendants and ground personnel, urged staff to refuse to support flights to the U.S. in protest of the immigration ban. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the unio criticized Air France’s management for failing to take a position on the issue, accusing it of falling short in its duty to support all passengers, regardless of their nationality. It argued that staff should not have to enforce decisions over which passengers could or could not travel based on a policy that it described as xenophobic and illegal.
