Originally Posted by
Bohinjska Bistrica
I've often wondered if there's a way to track where the passenger has originated from under an indirect routing. Surely the movement could be identified very easily where you're on a connecting flight?
The system is simple and works as long as there is a code-share or even just an interline. Look, for instance, at flights terminating in or around the US: for all those the last leg carrier must share passenger data with the US Homeland security. Some do with an API, I'm told, most still use the 1960s EDIFACT-based language. Regardless, the last carrier will say to the Homeland Security authorities "Hey, here is Bohinjska Bistrica's itinerary" and, with such an exotic name, you are pretty much guaranteed that Homeland Sec's
racial profiling artificial intelligence will you up and "randomly" give an SSSS status to your boarding pass. I've seen it happen even with weird and wonderful interlines I never knew BA had (Daallo Airlines from Mogadishu to Dubai via Hargeisa, then Dubai-London, London-Chicago).
However, if you do have two separate bookings then I don't think it'll work, not unless the authorities of two countries share data. I mean, in my example earlier, naughty 13901 could've been travelling from Mogadishu to Dubai on Daallo, then I could've spent two days enjoying the malls in Dubai (I guess?) and then made my way over to London. Unless the UAE and UK shared data I don't know how UKBF would've known where I was coming from (they could always check my passport stamp but... places like Israel don't give you one).