their names , as the names appeared on the government-issued IDs they would be traveling with , when making reservations . Since then , additional airlines have begun asking for full names , TSA spokeswoman Sterling Payne said , though she declined to say how many airlines are participating for security reasons . The new change requires travelers to provide three pieces of information when making reservations : the passenger 's full name as it appears on the government-issued ID they will be using , their birth date and their gender . The airline will transmit that information to the TSA , which will compare it to a `` no-fly '' list of people prohibited from flying or a list of `` selectees '' who can fly after they pass additional physical screening . If passengers are not asked for this addition information , they should not be concerned , as it will not affect their travel , the agency said . Early efforts to create the Secure Flight program were beset by problems , including program delays and complaints of privacy breaches . Finally , in 2006 , after the TSA spent more than $ 130 million and four
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Beginning Saturday , many air travelers will be asked their birth dates and genders when making airline reservations . The new travel rules are the latest `` visible '' expansion of the Secure Flight program . It 's the latest `` publicly visible '' expansion of Secure Flight , a program that transfers responsibility for checking air passengers ' identities from the airlines to the federal government , the Transportation Security Administration said . The change keeps the agency on track to assume responsibility for ID checks on all domestic flights by early next year , according to the TSA . Currently , the airlines check passenger identifications against lists of suspected terrorists . But the 9/11 Commission said the job was better suited for the federal government , which compiles the `` terror watch lists . '' Government control increases security , according to the TSA , while reducing the number of instances in which innocent people are mistakenly confused with possible terrorists having similar or identical names . In May , the federal government began the first public phase of `` Secure Flight '' when four small airlines began asking passengers to provide