New twist on extra gate security for CDG US-bound flight: Pre-selected, not random
Couldn't find another thread for this scenario, so mods please merge if it exists. Was flying home yesterday from CDG with the Mrs., and just as we got to the gatehouse I heard my name paged. Found a Red Coat (Delta) as I moved forward, and he apologetically asked me to stand by for extra security. Waiting nearby was a rep from ICTS (the contractor that handles security checkpoints at CDG).
She launched into a serious of stern-faced questions about our visit to France (length, purpose, where we stayed, if anyone else touched our bags, etc.). It was actually way more intense than the border guards, who didn't ask me literally anything upon entry or exit. At this point I couldn't tell why I was being questioned, and was about to ask, but she was done quickly and then directed my wife and I to stand behind the boarding podium.
Gate agents "pre-boarded" us onto the flight, then directed us to the traditional security-theater table in the interstitial room before the jetbridge. The two guards were friendly and, as expected, removed all my carry-on contents and swabbed them. Much to my pleasant surprise, she let me keep my bottle of Evian, and simply made me take a sip. She also made me take my bottle of duty-free champagne out of the box, but I was also allowed to keep that.
As they were finishing up, I had my "ah-ha" moment when I saw a printout with five names including mine. Interestingly, my wife's was not on there and she was not subject to any extra screening, but was allowed to stay near me the whole time.
Ultimately, we got to be among the first board, just after the air marshals and wheelchair pax. So, the extra time to get settled and avoid the boarding scrum was welcome. (If I had to be selected, I prefer this scenario since it was less stressful than the random pull-aside during boarding.) But I'm very curious about the selection process for this list, if it's just a France thing, etc. I didn't have SSSS on my BP, so maybe the element of surprise is part of it? FWIW, I had Pre-Check on my outbound flights, and I have it again today on a different domestic trip. So I'm confident I haven't been "flagged" for any ongoing scrutiny. But definitely curious if it's completely random or triggered by some external data points.
Any other experiences ex-CDG or elsewhere with being on a list for extra screening at the gate?