Bush fingerprinting plan faces resistance

WASHINGTON -- Key members of Congress are siding with the airline industry and moving to block the administration from forcing airlines to take fingerprints of foreign visitors before they fly home.

The opposition is setting up a clash over a final Bush administration effort to tighten security and immigration by keeping better track of when visitors fly out of the country.

U.S. and foreign airlines say fingerprinting 33 million visitors a year would devastate them financially, costing $12 billion over 10 years, at a time when soaring fuel prices have helped put some airlines out of business and forced others to cut flights.

"U.S. airlines obviously cannot bear the staggering additional costs," the Air Transport Association, which represents major domestic carriers, wrote last week.

The House plans to vote this month on a measure barring the Homeland Security Department from requiring airlines to take fingerprints until the department tests ...