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The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) has allied itself with the International Air Transport Association (Iata) in opposition to US government plans for new biometric exit procedures at the nation's airports.

America's Department of Homeland Security proposed that all foreign nationals leaving the US should have their fingerprints taken in order to improve security and fight terrorism.

Both the ACTE and Iata claim that such a system would be difficult to implement and extremely expensive, possibly creating costs that could be passed on to travellers.

Estimates of the cost of implementing new biometric procedures range from a conservative $300m (£152.6m) to up to $4bn.

ACTE president Richard Crum said: 'It is unreasonable to expect the airlines to shoulder this financial burden, especially at a time when they are facing staggering fuel increases, maintenance costs and other rising expenses.

'It is equally unreasonable to drop a $300m travel cost increase in the form of security surcharges or additional ticket taxes onto business travellers.'

Douglas E Lavin, Iata's regional vice-president for North America, warned that fingerprint checks could create 'significant hassle' for passengers in the form of airport congestion, delays and missed connections.

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