Do you have a passport? If not, you may want to get one soon. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Department of State recently announced that beginning January 23, 2007, citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda will be required to present a passport to enter (re-enter) the U.S. when arriving by air from any part of the Western Hemisphere (Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda).
The DHS also announced that as early as January 1, 2008, U.S. citizens traveling between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda by land or sea will also be required to present a passport to enter (re-enter) the U.S. This deadline may change to a later date but the DHS and Department of State are working to implement this passport requirement as soon as possible.
At peak times, our hub carrier Northwest Airlines alone launches 220 flights per week to 19 markets in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Air Canada, Spirit and USA 3000 also fly from Detroit to markets impacted by this initiative.
According the Department of State only 25% of US citizens currently possess a passport, whereas 90% of Canadian travelers had a passport as of September 2006.
If you do not have a passport, please visit
www.travel.state.gov for information on obtaining a passport or to obtain more information on international travel.
