Hawley explained that Secure Flight, the new passenger screening program, which he hopes will be running in 2008, would make such problems "a thing of the past."

Hawley said his agency sends correctives to the airlines.

"Unfortunately, it depends airline by airline how their individual systems work as to how effectively that's done," he said.

Hawley was questioned by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., about the lack of screening for passengers on private aircraft, which Rockefeller called "very disturbing."

Hawley said there are many security measures in place on the ground around general aviation terminals, but that the department is considering the longer-term issue of whether such private flight passengers should be subjected to individual screening.

Senators also asked Hawley about a provision recommended by the 9/11 Commission, and passed by the House last week, that would require 100 percent physical inspection of all air cargo loaded onto passenger planes. The Senate has yet to act on the measure.

"We prefer not to have a 100 percent requirement on anything," Hawley said. "Because you tend to be focused then on, how do we accomplish what is written in the law, as opposed to a smarter security that says, okay, we're in a risk-based business, how are we going to stop the bomb from being in here?"

Also Wednesday, the Homeland Security Department launched a new program for passengers who feel wronged to try correcting the list.

The program will give travelers "a clearly-defined process" to report problems, said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in a written statement.

Beginning Feb. 20, the program, dubbed Traveler Redress Inquiry Program, will serve as a central processing point for all inquiries about Homeland Security agencies' databases.

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