More than 850 people have been assigned a special number to help avoid being inadvertently ensnared by Canada’s no-fly list. Public Safety Canada says a dozen of these travellers have been cleared to board an aircraft as a direct result of having the personal code since the program began in November 2020.

The department has touted the rollout of the Canadian Travel Number as a key step in revamping passenger screening procedures after many young children were stopped at airports because their names are the same as, or close to, ones on the no-fly roster.

Passengers who have experienced difficulties can apply for a travel number via the Public Safety website to help avoid false matches when booking flights to, from or within Canada.

The government requires air carriers to send a passenger’s name and date of birth as early as 72 hours before a flight so that their identity can be verified and any false name match resolved in advance.

The government is now responsible for screening passengers against the Secure Air Travel Act watchlist, commonly known as the no-fly list.