SSSSed thrice. Everytime it was the same reason, I had booked 4+ one-way tickets the same week in the US to be traveled that same month.

I have been SSSS'd at least 25 times since they implemented the program. I have to say that it is one of the least productive and most ridiculous security screen procedures I have ever seen since any passenger with half a brain can read the boarding pass and decide to cancel their travel plans if they don't want to experience the "full monty".

It is certainly not random which makes the process even more ridiculous. Last minute, one way tickets booked for a single male flyer are definitely more likely to get tagged. Airport staff also have the discretion of flagging a passenger.

One particular grumpy/nasty UA agent in MSP actually HAND WROTE "SSSS" on a boarding pass after I had a mild disagreement with her over scheduling/routing of a late flight. Knowing what it meant, I looked her in the eye and said "thanks for invading my privacy at security" and walked away. The security team couldn't believe it (they had never seen a hand-printed code before).

SG

I regularly go Canada-Europe one way on flight passes. And recently one way to LHR for cash. Never encountered the extra probing, just an occasional question from a checkin agent to make sure I had an appropriate visa (ie so that destination country would not balk at the lack of a return ticket).

I had it twice in the past few months, both on trips to EWR.
It is not so bad, basically they just ask if you want the body scanner or pat down.
I always choose the pat down which is just the wand, the same as if you had some metal that beeped. No big deal "full monty".

Nobody ever said it was purely random.
This can actually be due to system issues rather than the agent actually singling someone out. This happens the most on CO.

One of the criteria to get SSSS is if you check in very close to cut off time or even late. The only time that I have gotten SSSS is checking in late.

I got the SSSS once.

I had just booked a series of one way flights in Europe to make a tour. I can't remember if I'd flown them yet.

Then I had a short term reason to go to the USA, booked a ticket.

So basically I think I fired off a lot of their check marks on the pattern they don't want to see for someone booking tickets. At least I didn't pay with cash.

So, SSSS for me. All that happened was I got redirected to the body scanner, plus body search, and off on my way. This was before they ramped up body scans as a routine thing.

Wasn't any big deal in the end but there was one hiccup during checkin that I now can't remember. Something like not being able to get the boarding pass for my connecting flight?

Not true. I have been fed that line repeatedly by check-in agents when they realize that I understand what the code means on the boarding pass.

Perhaps a little of both then. In my case, the same United MSP printers have previously generated boarding passes that have the SSSS printed on them. If the check-in agent wasn't already annoyed at me, I would be inclined to agree that it was a temporary system hiccup.

SG

Perhaps the hiccup was that you couldn't complete OLCI? One ridiculous aspect of the SSSS program is that you cannot print your boarding pass at home if you have been selected for special screening. Not being able to complete OLCI is a sure tip-off that you are about to receive the works.

On a positive note, sometimes SSSS works in your favor if there is a long security line and no priority lane. You are typically whisked to the front of the line and can save time getting through a long line-up.

SG

+1

I used to get SSSS all the time. I mean 100% of the time. I later learned that my 5 letter-last name was a part of some most-wanted-list's 12 letter last name (Eg: his name was ABCDEFG-HIJKL and my name is CDEFG). My name was also in the no-fly list.

It was hell. I couldn't get Nexus, couldn't pring boarding pass even using the terminals at the airport (had to line up) and I got secondary every single time. I mean even on land border they'd send me in to secondary and the secondary person (after verification) would tell me to tell the guard next time that I wasn't that guy. I was like "ya, sure that'll work. Hey officer, I am not the guy you're looking for, no need to send me to secondary".

Eventually they either caught the guy or finally updated their system to clear my name, because 4 years ago it stopped and haven't been SSSS'ed since then.

Yeah, this used to be a huge problem with the ballooning of the no-fly list post-9/11. Did you get a redress # from DHS or did the guy just "fall off" the no-fly list?

If travelling transborder and your flight cancels and the agent books you on another airline, *you will always* get tagged with the SSSS designation.

Not surprising since that's the last-minute thing coming up.

This happend to me today-- I was flying from DUB via ORD on EI. I checked in online well ahead of time for DUB-ORD, but didn't have a place to print the boarding pass, and the system said I could pick it up at the airport. At the airport I got both boarding passes, and the second one SSSS ORD-YYC.

The TSA agent in ORD was very good about it, almost apologetic, and he said that most airlines don't do the SSSS thing very much anymore, but EI tends to do it a lot. So there is certainly an airline component. I'm a young male, dark skin, unshaven for a couple days, so who knows if that plays into it. I'm not sure what else would flag the system.

Anyway, just as described above, it took only a couple extra minutes, they swiped my bags for the explosive test, did the fairly mild patdown, and I was on my way. I'm sure it save me at least 20 mins in security though... 5pm at ORD ugh.