Jun 8, 2007

U.S. eases passport rules

U.S. eases rules

Less than six months into the new rules requiring Americans to have a current passport to reenter the country by air from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, and the State Department is having to backtrack. It’s a start, but more needs to be done.

According to The Associated Press, the U.S. government, in response to an overwhelming number of traveler complaints, is temporarily easing the requirements. Now and through the summer, travelers need only show that they have applied for a passport.

Phase two

This is all well and good, but what about the bigger, looming issue? What’s that, you ask? Phase two of the Western Hemisphere Travel Inhibitor, uh, Initiative. Phase two, which is scheduled to start next year, is when you can’t get from Seattle to Vancouver and back without a passport. Forget that weekend jaunt between San Diego and Tijuana. Unless you have a passport, you won’t be allowed.

Now, I don’t happen to have the number of travelers flying between these places and the number of people crossing the border via vehicle, ferry or other, less-airborne modes of transportation, but I bet the latter is higher. What does that mean? An even bigger headache for travelers (not to mention those folks at the passport offices).

Proactive vs. reactive

But, of course, that’s months down the road. Why worry about that now? To this I ask, “Why not?” Why not just look at the numbers and figure out a solution? Instead, I fear, our less-than-efficient U.S. government will wait until the next crisis and react. Prove me wrong. Please.

Vienna or Vancouver, no matter

Now, I realize, I’m writing about Western Europe travel, and the WHTI really deals with travel to places such as Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. But the passport issue is a global travel issue for Americans. After all, you’ll need a passport if you’re heading to Marseille, too, and you’ll be stuck in that same line as the guy going to Mazatlan.