Travel industry seeks meeting over passport processing delays
Michael Milligan, Travel Weekly, 3/23/2007
With a growing number of U.S. travelers seeking new passports -- and many waiting 10 weeks or more before they receive the documents, the travel industry is seeking a meeting with the State Dept., which it believes needs additional resources to keep up with demand.
At press time, it was unclear when the meeting would take place.
Earlier this month, the State Dept. said that aside from the fact that in anticipation of the busy summer season (January through April is typically a peak season for passport applications), the number of passport applications this year is significantly higher due to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, a law requiring airline passengers entering the U.S. from within the Western Hemisphere to possess a valid passport.
The State Dept. expects to issue as many as 17 million passports by the end of the year, a 40% increase over 2005.
Consequently, the State Dept. said that travelers applying for U.S. passports that it may take as long as two-and-a-half months for routine processing. Travelers paying for expedited processing should expect a four-week wait. Typically, expedited passports take 10 days to process.
The State Dept. has added staff and its passport processing operations are operating almost around the clock. But the industry contends that may not be enough. The longer wait periods have already caused some travelers to postpone trips because expected passports haven't arrived in time, according to the Travel Industry Association.
"We acknowledge the State Dept. for its work to get ahead of rising demand and successfully securing additional staff and other resources to issue millions more passports," said Roger Dow, TIA's president and CEO. "Despite all their good efforts, the industry believes it is now necessary for the State Dept. to seek assistance to meet passport demand and ensure that business and leisure travelers can make their trips on time."
The TIA said that, among other things, it intends to suggest during the meeting that the State Dept. provide more opportunities for private passport companies to service this increased demand with expedited services, which could save the State Dept. time and resources on the front end by preparing passport documentation for the adjudication process.
Testifying this week before the House subcommittee on International organizations, human rights and oversight, Charles Merin, president of the Travel Business Roundtable said the unusually longer wait periods has confounded the industry since, despite having several years to prepare for the implementation of the WHTI, the State Dept. nonetheless "is struggling to meet demand for U.S. passports."
That said, the industry is concerned the worse may be yet to come.
As early as 2008 the WHTI requirement will extend to land border and seaport crossings as well, meaning a new flood of tens of millions more travelers who will also need passports.
"If the U.S. government cannot adequately meet this increase in demand now, travel and trade on both sides of the border face grim consequences in the near future," said Jonathan Tisch, chairman of the Travel Business Roundtable and chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels.