Originally Posted by
MatthewG
There is one major execption that I can think of off the top of my head...
Delayed baggage.
We have delayed baggage come in all the time on QX. Bags that are delayed and aren't riding with their respective owners have to undergo additional screening, etc. before they are sent to us to put on the aircraft. Once delayed bags arrive here in YYJ, one of our QX agents will collect the bag(s) and take them through customs. I don't know what the procedure is for inbound unaccompanied bags as I've never delt with taking them through customs...
But if I understand the situation correctly, the difference between your example and OP's issue is that in the case of delayed baggage, the pax did fly, and their baggage was not on their flight through (usually) no fault of their own. When the pax doesn't show for the flight, security red flags should go up, which they did in this case, and the bags were offloaded.