US visitors reminded of Esta regulations

People planning a visit to Florida, New York or any other US destination after January 12th 2009 have been reminded of the need to comply with new customs regulations being enforced by the Department of Homeland Security.

The Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (Esta) is being implemented by the American government to check that passengers travelling under the visa waiver scheme, such as people from the UK, are eligible to visit the country.

British Airways reminded travellers that they must apply for Esta approval at least 72 hours before their flight is due to depart.

Applications can be made on the Esta website and, once approved, will be valid for two years, allowing multiple visits to the US in that time.

Jim Forster, British Airways' government and industry affairs manager, said: "The US is our biggest overseas market and we have been working hard to advise our visa waiver customers that they must apply to the Department of Homeland Security well in advance of travel."

He added: "We will be sending reminder messages to customers who have given us their email details to invite them to apply for Esta."

The Esta approval scheme is separate to the Advanced Passenger Information programme, which requires customers to submit personal and travel details from the time of booking.

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