nrr

I've flown zrh-jfk 4 times since the 12/25 incident, which caused extra gate security on intl flts to the US. The first was on 12/27, and today 4/5, was the 4th. AA on all of the others handled the boarding process with great efficiency, even though extra pat downs and carry-on luggage was subject to extra scrutiny. Today, the process was totally disorganized, even though bc was called first, they did not send other groups back until they were called. Fortunately if you kept (slightly) away from the "extra screening" tables, you could avoid this step completely. With all this chaos, we still departed only slightly off schedule and arrived at JFK (even with a closed runway) early.^
[Even though they place a sticker on the back of your passport, to show that you were "subjected" to the special security ques. they ask (at check-in) , they like to repeat some of those same questions again at the gate--slowing down the boarding process.]

Spiff

I recommend contacting AA about this (what I perceive to be a) negative experience and let them know you are less likely to fly to ZRH while you are subjected to this harassment when returning home. Perhaps AA will wake up to the decline in revenue and pressure the US government to change the passengers' experience at the boarding gate and elsewhere for the better...

nyc6035

FWIW, I was on UA from NRT-SFO in F this past weekend. There was zero screening taking place at the gate as far as I could see.

hvd

What is really great is when the same person asks the same questions at check in and then at the gate.

RxCapt

I have flown AA for all of my international travel to and from the US in the past several years (not including intra-European and intra-South America flights) and always wondered if pax traveling on other airlines are subject to the same level of "security"? i.e. Questions before reaching the check-in counter/kiosk and then gate screenings?

androobe

In my experience the "double screening" is nothing new, and always happened to me before the pants bomber at MAN, FCO, MAD, BRU.... but NOT at LHR (where I've not had the questions even once!). When you get the same person at checkin and the gate they usually say "since I last spoke to you, has anyone...."
I have not flown from LHR on AA since so I don't know if there is any difference now.

ESpen36

Same thing happens at FRA and MAD. But note that some of the questions are slightly different. At the gate, they ask, "since the security checkpoint, have you acquired anything to take on board?" And so on.

But it is rather humorous to hear them ask some of the same questions word for word, especially if it happens to be the same security agent. I cannot fathom how these "baggage security questions" do anything to help security. One smart decision Stateside was eliminating these ridiculous questions. Perhaps the lack of complaining Congresspeople in Europe has kept these archaic practices in place?

ESpen36

Nope, not at all. It is specific to flights to the USA only. Now, I cannot speak for Europe, but I know that in some South American cities, the airlines insist on these procedures (and employ the contract agents who carry out the questioning). The reason is that the areas are dangerous enough that the airlines would not fly there without such procedures. I believe the same goes for AA's DEL flight.

The problem is that the procedures rapidly get out of hand....ask anybody who has flown out of CCS recently.