Travelocity: Travelers support ID cards

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By Scarlet Pruitt

(IDG) -- While the government and aviation officials have gone to great lengths to bolster travel security since September 11, the U.S. public seems prepared to embrace even more extreme measures to ensure safety, a survey released Wednesday by Travelocity.com Inc. indicates.

The popular travel site polled close to 3,400 of its members who had traveled since September 11, and 76 percent of frequent travelers reported that they would support the implementation of a "Trusted Traveler" identification card that stores information such as their photo, fingerprints, personal history, facial and retinal scans and travel history, the company said.

What's more, 70 percent of the frequent travelers polled said that they strongly support granting federal law enforcement officials access to all their travel reservations booked through agencies and other suppliers, Travelocity reported.

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Bruce Charendoff, senior vice president of government affairs for Travelocity, said that he found it a bit surprising that so many travelers would be willing to share their personal information with government agencies, but added that people will endorse measures that make them feel safe and secure.

Travelocity conducted the survey to gauge consumers' attitudes and "to figure out what the obstacles were to getting people back in the air," Charendoff said.

Although Travelocity business has almost returned to normal since the devastating terrorist attacks on September 11 that left many afraid to fly, the site is emphasizing different travel sectors such as cruises and hotels, he said.

Travel-related sites are recovering, but "there's still more to do, that's for sure," Charendoff said. "We have to figure out what's preventing people from taking that trip."

The survey, conducted in February, corroborated results from a similar poll Travelocity did in November. Both surveys indicate that despite efforts to shore up security concerns, the public is left wanting more.

Charendoff conceded that the practices of travel sites and booking agencies could eventually change in response to consumers' continued safety concerns.

Travelocity is sharing its results with members of Congress and says that it is amenable to working with other online travel agents in hopes of allaying consumers' travel-related fears.

The impetus for online travel sites to get consumers back in the air is clear. Even though Travelocity was pleased that its business is bouncing back, it still posted losses for its 2001 fourth-quarter last month.