Originally Posted by Nobbi
On a recent MSP-DTW-FRA-DTW-SFO trip, I was booked on NW but wanted AS credit. Also I wanted to get on an earlier flight on the first segment. For the outbound I had checked in online. Once through security I asked at the WC if I could go stand-by at the gate. She told me, yes, go to the gate. There I received my BP but it had a SSSS on it. No security stamp but they let me on the plane.
On the return I noticed that my BPs had my NW WP # on them. The agent (KLM) could only change my FRA-DTW segment to an AS number. Once in DTW, I again went to the WC and had them change my BP to reflect the AS number. Again, SSSS. (The agent told me that was because of the BP reprint!) At the gate, no problems. I was let on (although I did hear the scanner make a different beep noise than when it scanned the previous BPs.)
So, SSSS, no stamp/sticker; still let onto the plane.
NW boarding passes increasingly indicate when a boarding pass is a "connecting" flight. And an examination of the underlying ticket -- at least by the check-in or gate agent should resolve such matters if a gate agent brings it up. Now the idiocy of the situation is that while the initial segments boarding pass may be marked with SSSS, the connecting segments increasingly often do not have an SSSS indication. So a "watchlist" selectee could just as easily go landside at the connecting airport, pick up the "goods" and reclear "normal" security to get airside. If this isn't an issue, the haraSSSSment process should be scrapped. Even if this is an issue, the haraSSSSment process won't do a whole lot and should still be scrapped.