Delta Pleads the Nuremberg Defense

It didn't work in 1946 and it won't fly in 2003: Delta's public cry of 'Ve vere only following orderz' is simply not credible. Delta's feeble attempt to pass the buck on to the Transportation Security Administration for their own privacy fiasco should be greeted with nothing less than derision.

For those who have yet to receive their own copy of Delta's latest lame excuse, their PR flacks have been sending out the following spam email to thousands of irate customers who wrote to complain about their collaboration in testing the CAPPS II system:

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening System II (CAPPS II). Your concerns about privacy are certainly understandable.

CAPPS II is a federal program administered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as a result of the heightened threat of terrorism to our country. Delta's role in the CAPPS II pilot program will be limited to providing data to the TSA that Delta already collects from passengers as part of our normal reservations and ticketing process. The security of Delta's passengers and safeguarding passenger information remains a top priority.

Although we cannot comment further, you may direct your questions to the TSA by calling their Consumer Response Center at 1-866-289-9673.

We regret your disappointment in this instance, and we will always welcome the opportunity to be of service.

Sincerely,

Kayan A. Rose
Manager
Customer Care

Codswallop. The TSA has not given Delta any CAPPS II orders: they can't. The TSA can't order Delta (or any other airline) to test or implement CAPPS II until 30 days after the current comment and rulemaking process is completed. As public comments on CAPPS II are still being accepted the thirty day clock hasn't even begun to start ticking. Even after all this is completed, the TSA has to publish the final rules and give notice to Congress before they can give any airline CAPPS II orders.

Delta is collaborating with CAPPS II because they want to collaborate.

Delta is giving away private passenger information because they feel like it.

There were no 'orderz' to follow: Delta is a willing CAPPS II collaborator. Robert Johnson, the Director of Communications at the TSA, told the Aero-News Network that "What we are doing with Delta is testing, behind the scenes, away from passengers, the infrastructure." He also states the TSA "found we could work behind the scenes with (Delta), to develop a program that will be used by all airlines, perhaps by the end of the year." The full article is well-worth reading.

Delta Chairman and CEO Leo Mullin should come clean and admit the obvious: that Delta Air Lines signed up for CAPPS II testing; that they were first in line for Fascism.