Editing:2022.11.22 Thanksgiving FlyRights

November 22, 2022 (New York, NY) -- As people across the United States prepare to travel in the weeks ahead, the Sikh Coalition wants to re-share our essential FlyRights tool. FlyRights allows Sikh travelers to report instances of discrimination and harrassment by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in our nation’s airports in real time via their smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

If you are told by a TSA agent that they must touch your turban or patka (and you are therefore denied the opportunity to pat-down your own articles of faith) or feel that you have otherwise been subjected to discrimination, take note of the officer’s name and immediately file a complaint using the FlyRights website. Your reports of discrimination through FlyRights are a critical means of holding the TSA accountable: Since 2012, thousands of Sikh travellers have used FlyRights to share their experiences, allowing us to provide critical feedback to the TSA and identify which airports need training.

“Sikhs, like anyone else, deserve to be able to travel through our nation’s airports without risk to their civil rights or their dignity,” said Sikh Coalition Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager Sim J. Singh Attariwala. “The FlyRights platform is just one of many ways that the Sikh Coalition continues to push for accountability and transparency vis-a-vis the TSA.”

In addition to bookmarking FlyRights, we urge those with travel plans to review the Sikh Coalition’s TSA: Know Your Rights Guide, which is vetted by the TSA and is compatible with the latest TSA screening procedures and regulations. This resource is completely free to download and available in English and Punjabi, containing detailed information on airport screening procedures and your rights as a traveler. The Sikh Coalition remains committed to holding the TSA accountable, both through sharing resources like these and our broader advocacy, including a new TSA officer training deck that we recently developed with other Sikh organizations.

Finally, note that some travelers have reported that they experience less secondary screening with enrollment in the TSA Pre✓® program. Additionally, you can request copies of our “The Sikhs” educational brochures before you travel internationally. This free resource is available in 18 different languages. To get free printed copies of this or any other resource, fill out our resource request form online.

As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.

REMINDER: Know Your Rights Before Flying