
Doesn't really matter...
I'd be more concerned about accidental murder by drugs gang than privacy.
European airlines could soon be forced to break citizens’ right to privacy if they want to fly to Mexico. Mexican authorities have decided to implement a "passenger name record" (PNR) scheme from 1 April. PNR data encompasses all the information airlines hold on their passengers – from credit card details, phone numbers and …
"I'd be more concerned about accidental murder by drugs gang than privacy."
PNR all the info they need to ship small drug packets to your house while you're on holiday. Their EU distributor can pick it up from your house when they're sure it's safe to do so, if not you get the rap on your return, nice holiday present.
Declare no dietary information - Check
Cash charged type credit card for airfare - Check
Email, for this use only account. - Check
Phone number, more tricky but perhaps a disposable mobile telephone - check
Or do not bother with Mexico, too much drug based crime for some tastes -Checkmate.
Indeed, there is little point in going to Mexico, it'll be the same western-centric resorts that you can find in dozens of other places. Mexico just happens to be the cheapest place for Americans and Canadians to fly to, but if you are flying in from the EU, it'd be just as cheap to fly to one of the Caribbean or South American nations. Especially now that Cuba is opening and is starving for tourism dollars.
I beg to differ. The Mayan ruins on the Yucutan and the Aztec/Toltec ruins around Mexico City are very cool, and the Mexican people are among the best I have ever met in my travels. However, the cops outside the tourist areas can be pretty corrupt if they see "generic rich westerner" in the neighborhood.
I could have mentioned the EU-USA PNR agreement, as somebody downthread did.
Or, I could have observed that, like the person upthread, I feel no pressing need to visit Mexico (despite my living within driving distance of it).
But I didn't do either of those things, did I? Oh, no.
Instead I just had to remark that, at first glance, I read "...the Aztec/Toltec ruins around Mexico City) as "the Aztec Toilet ruins around Mexico City".
And I'm probably going to hell for that.
> it'll be the same western-centric resorts that you can find in dozens of other places
In my limitted experience, that need not be the case. Such resorts certainly exist - e.g. Cancun, whose airport I passed through - but there is plenty of "unspoilt" country left. And the arcaeology definitely makes a visit worthwhile.
One trick is to avoid anything that is air conditioned (hotels, buses, taxis etc.). They will be full of Americans. Instead, travel and stay with the locals and many European tourists in the non-aircon establishments.
My main complaint was the agro from souvenir sellers inside the archaeological sites. In some places, especially Teotihuacan, they were very agressive and very numerous.
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Mexico could drop the requirement for PNR data from the airlines and request it from the passengers themselves. As the EU requires all non-EU passengers to fill out a landing card, there cannot be any objections to the reciprocal process. For my personal convenience, just let them have the damn data, everybody who really wants it has got it anyway.
Or why does this article not contain a single mention of the EU-US PNR agreement?
Maybe El Reg does not wish to offend the majority of its audience?
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Tourist dies and two injured after whale crashes into sightseeing boat off Mexico
well, two simple solutions.
1) airlines stop flying to/from Mexico
2) Airlines stop asking for all that information. Outsource the whole booking process to another company, who just tell the airline that seat C6 on flight FU999 is booked by the person with boarding pass GG5491066, who wants kosher food. Base the outsourcing company somewhere with really, really tough data protection laws, and delete all the flight info once the plane has landed safely. Passenger shows passport to emigration officer at the gate.
But I'm sure our freedom and privacy-loving goverbments would find a good way to block that.
...is one of those countries I'd only visit if they create Star Trek like transporters so I can just beam into the few ancient sites for an afternoon and then back to Blighty for tea.
Same goes for Egypt and a few others listed under "Interesting sites of nature or architecture but not worth the bother/risk otherwise"