Airlines will soon be required to give the U.S. government passenger lists for al U.S.-bound international flights before takeoff, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Wednesday. The new regulations, which could be in place by early next year, would make permanent a counter-terror measure taken after last week's foiled plot to bomb trans-Atlantic flights. “This is part of our border authority,” Chertoff told the Associated Press. “The reason we haven't moved this is because the airlines were concerned about what they would do about passengers who would come up at the last minute, and they don't want to [delay] the flights.” “Our position has been, isn't it better to know before the plane takes off than to turn the plane around? Which I think is correct,” Chertoff said in an interview.
