Airlines break EU law about passenger information data

It appears that if you get on a plane to the US anywhere in the EU except the UK , your passenger details will continue to be surrendered to the US authorities, despite the ruling of the EU Court of Justice that this is illegal and breaches EU directives on Data Privacy and Protection. (see previous posts) The UK is the exception because her most Excellent Majesty the Queen has suspended the law to allow the passenger details to continue be provided to the US authorities, overriding EU law.

AP report that Head of US Homeland Security, Chertoff, had been assured that airlines would continue to transmit the data. "There's no intention for them to interfere with the continued transmission," Chertoff saidand didn't expect any airlines would be fined.

"I don't envision that while we're in these discussions any country in Europe is going to take some precipitous step to put the airlines in a difficult position," he said.

Chertoff said there is no legal vacuum because U.S. law is clear that airlines have to provide information about people entering the US. So that's alright then.

"This should not be a big issue," he said. "I can tell you from dealing with the negotiators who were over here that everybody's negotiating in good faith."