In a recent survey to NBTA Direct Members, NBTA found that the majority of travel managers are unaware of or unfamiliar with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Travel Redress Inquiry Program (TRIP), which allows individuals to make inquiries or seek resolution regarding difficulties they experienced during their travel screening at U.S. airports or crossing U.S. borders.  Of the 90 survey respondents, 64 percent were unaware that this service was available and only 5 percent of respondents’ companies included information about DHS TRIP in a corporate travel policy or other travel communication mediums.

Yet, 41 percent of respondents indicated that one or more travelers in their companies are constantly subjected to secondary screening at the airport. Of those, only 21 percent recommended DHS TRIP as an potential solution. However, of those who had used DHS TRIP and judged the program’s effectiveness, most had favorable results, with 30 percent rating the program as “average” and 22 percent rating it as “good.”

Upon analysis of the survey results, it was clear to NBTA that information about DHS TRIP must be more aggressively promoted to industry stakeholders and the public for the program to be successful. “Now that I have read about the program, I will distribute the information to all of our travelers,” noted one respondent.

NBTA immediately took action and on November 8 filed comments with the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee urging DHS to embark on a public relations campaign to inform the travel industry community and the general public about DHS TRIP. NBTA has already made efforts to inform its members, and suggested that DHS reach out to other associations requesting that they, too, inform their membership.

Timeliness of the redress process was also seen as a problem and deterrent among survey respondents. One survey respondent noted, “The process is too long and involved… It has taken over six months for travelers to be removed and some of them are still fighting.”

Another respondent commented, “Some have given up and just get to the airport earlier.”

NBTA mentioned this frustration with the process among its members in the filing and encouraged DHS to speed up the redress process to achieve greater program success and satisfaction among program participants. 

Back to Connecting News November 2007