US to Change No- Fly List Rules

The current government has promised to change the no-fly list process. Passengers can now request to be removed from the list.

The administration is considering the change following a federal judge's ruling that the designation could not be challenged although it is unconstitutional, according to The Washington Times.

The procedure will be changed in the next six months, according to the Justice Department.

The U.S. government created the no-fly list after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. It contains the list of people who are not allowed to board a commercial aircraft to travel in or out of the United States due to security concerns.

The policy has come under a lot of criticism as a lot of people on the list are clueless about their listing. They also cannot challenge their status in the no-fly list.

Travelers get to know that they are on the list only when they are called for additional screening at the airports or they are not allowed to board the flight. Due to security concerns, the government's procedure is not to confirm or deny whether a person is on the no-fly list.

In a court ruling earlier this month, the government said that it will  "endeavor to increase transparency for certain individuals denied boarding who believe they are on the No Fly List."

The federal government was sued by 13 plaintiffs over the present policy, which according to them violates their constitutional right to due process. They also got support from a federal judge in Portland, Oregon.

Hina Shamsi, an attorney representing 13 plaintiffs, said that the government was taking too long a time to  overhaul the procedure.

Abe Mashal, an ex marine turned do trainer was unable to print his boarding pass before a flight out of Chicago four years ago. The government refused his request for change of status twice.