MONTREAL, Sept. 29 /CNW Telbec/ - Commencing October 4, 2005, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security will require airlines to collect additional Advance Passenger Information (APIS) from customers travelling to, from, and via the United States.

Under the existing APIS program, passengers checking-in for flights to or from U.S. destinations or with an itinerary that includes a U.S. destination, are currently required to provide the following information in advance:

- Full Name
- Gender
- Date of Birth
- Citizenship
- Passport Number

As of October 4, 2005, airlines will be required to collect the following additional information upon check-in:

- Passport country of issuance (if passport required)
- Passport expiry date (if passport required)
- Travel Document Type
- Country of residence
- For customers travelling to the U.S., address for the first night in the U.S. (for non U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents)
- Alien registration number, where applicable

To coincide with the additional APIS requirements and to speed airport processes during this period of transition, Air Canada will be offering an aircanada.com check-in bonus of 250 Aeroplan miles to all customers using Web Check-In between October 1 and October 31 for travel to/from the U.S.. This bonus can be earned on a one-time basis by every Aeroplan member, but will not be applicable to people traveling on reward tickets.

Air Canada's popular web check-in allows customers to check-in and print boarding passes from the convenience of their home or office by simply visiting www.aircanada.com . Air Canada offers this convenient service for all of its domestic flights within Canada and all flights bound for international destinations including the United States, as well as for flights from 18 cities in the United States, for travel to Canada.

All currently acceptable valid travel documents for entry into the U.S. are still acceptable. A valid passport remains the preferred document for all travel outside Canada.

Initial APIS requirements came into effect in January 2002 in accordance with the United States Aviation and Transportation Security Act, with amendments to the Canadian Aeronautics Act enabling Canadian carriers to provide basic passenger information to foreign governments where such information is required by law.