d3vski

Just wondering about BA flights heading towards the USA (ive only travelled to Asia on BA)

Do some people get the "SSSS" on their boarding cards and how legit it is to conduct futher intensive screening on foreign soil when the criteria is determined by US government agencies?

I ask this because at AA in LHR, SSSS is common and obviously there is a criteria for having SSSS come out on your boarding card but how legit is in UK law?

Does it contravene the article 14 of the Human Rights Act 1998 (prohibition of discrimination). Can a person who has SSSS demand in the UK that it is taken off or insist that all passengers on their flight have the same exact intensive screening procedures carried out on them?

curious to hear all your opinions...

The Saint

BA does not have such a system at LHR or anywhere else, so the issue does not arise for BA.

I suspect that this question would be better asked in the AA forum, not least because I can see it descending into the usual and predictable arguments.

ThatT1Feeling

Don't understand the OPs question so can't comment but I did get SSSS flying JFK-LHR once on BA when I admitted I was carrying something for someone else (a wrapped birthday present for my daughter from our friends in the US) and I didn't know what was in the parcel.

I was personally escorted from F checkin to the front of the staff security line, my bags were scanned as normal, I was asked a quick question about how long I had known my friends and that was it. A highly personalised, fast-track experience.

KenJohn

SSSS is a TSA concept so it only applies to US airports where all departing flights are subject to TSA requirements

vla

I thought SSSS was SSSSuspended with the start of the new administration?

globalste

I used to get this every time without fail travelling USA - Sweden for some reason. Never had it leaving the EU though.

You want to go where?

I doubt that you would find any relief from the act. SSSS is (theoretically) not assigned based on any of the criteria defined in Article 14, but on indicators such as one-way tickets, last minute purchases, and also on a random basis. As such, there is no discrimination against race, ethnic origin, religion, etc.

Scott Mac

My friend gets this because his name contains ţ and he uses the romanised version which is Th. He assumes it's because his passport doesn't match the ticket or some other special condition.

d3vski

like i mentioned, ive never travelled to the USA on BA so i had no idea if they were subject to the SSSS criteria or not. It does happen on AA flights departing London so i was wondering if BA were subject to it or not but you seem to have answered my question.

Moderators: Feel free to move this into the Travel safety/security forum to discuss whether SSSS from foreign country is valid or not. thanks

BHDBOY

I have had SSSS when traveling to the USA from Dublin on both CO and US, the SSSS is simply ignored by Dublin security. Similarly I've had it flying YUL-PHL on US, brought on I think by a last minute change of flight, as in Dublin it was ignored by the Canadians.

NonSmokingWindow

It has been SSSSuspended.

Shuttle-Bored

Duly done

AJLondon

Is that correct?

Just booked two one-way domestics and immediately thought of the dreaded SSSS...

GUWonder

The airline selection and deselection of customers to be subjected to TSA haraSSSSment screening based on what showed up on the boarding pass has been given a rest for the general population.

When it came to my trips over the past several years, booking one-way domestic flights was not a routine trigger for haraSSSSment selection. [It was a case of YMMV, with those having a long flight history being selected far less often than others booking one-way tickets and paying in cash or buying a ticket outside of the US that included intra-US travel.

AJLondon

Thanks GUWonder.

I could have bought a round-trip but it was way more expensive as it involved two carriers (in different alliances).