OSS, One Stop Security Initiative
 

Government of Canada announced Feb 29 that there is a new airport security initiative "Under this OSS arrangement, passengers and their belongings that have been screened at their point of departure may not have to go through additional screening at participating Canadian airports where they have connecting flights. Making airport connections simpler and faster allows travellers to reach their family and friends more quickly and allows business travellers to get their business done more swiftly. It also helps the Canadian aviation industry attract more flights to or through Canada."

Boarding pass that I printed tonight had OSS on it where TSA Pre usually is printed. Connecting from PSP to YVR to YYC

Announcement http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1036799

If a traveller is able to avoid going landside when arriving in Canada, and can stay on the airside without passing through a security checkpoint, this would be fantastic.

Let us know how your YVR connection works out.
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13F

Flying SFO-YVR-YYZ tomorrow and have checked in already.

Have OSS on my YVR-YYZ boarding pass. But for some reason TSA-Pre is not showing up on my SFO-YVR boarding pass (I will stop at the AC counter in the morning to reprint my boarding pass and get the TSA-Pre stamp on it.

In this case tomorrow, I actually want to go landside in YVR...have ~3 hours in YVR and want to go to Fairmont gym.

Will report back.

Got off PSP Air Canada Rouge flight walked to immigration asked if I had a connecting flight and directed to the right of the area where there were 2 officers checking passports. Then out of immigration to the right of the hall up elevator to the same are where security has always been and had to be again checked. Asked a supervisor about OSS and showed him the Gov. Canada document and he knew nothing about it . So YVR is not a airport that has implemented it yet . In the MLL lounge the agent asked what OSS was on my boarding pass and I gave him a copy of the Gov. Canada Doc.

Any one that has experienced the OSS please post and update the thread
Thanks

While this initiative sounds great in principle, how would it work in practice given current Canadian airport layouts? I am thinking of the path a traveller takes on a US-YUL-domestic connection. Tricky to remain in "clean" area - especially since you could potentially mingle with pax arriving from an "unclean" overseas destination in intl. arrivals area.

Which airports have OSS
 

Any FT'ers experience or see OSS rolled out at any airports. I will be flying return next week from USA , YYZ, to YYC and will see if my boarding pass has OSS and if I have a different experience after immigration.

OSS, One Stop Security Initiative
 

At YYZ T1, they've put up a new CATSA screening area at the area for connections to "E" gates. That's the little area with a couple of border officers you see when arriving from outside Canada and departing on an international (non-USA) flight at T1. In the past you'd see immigration, then head to your gate. Now it seems you'll also see CATSA before heading to your connecting flight, unless arriving from the USA or the EU.

IAH YYZ YWG today. OSS printed on BP at check in.

Arrived YYZ F gates, upstairs to catwalk down to customs hall. No opportunity found along the way to avoid leaving customs hall to take advantage of OSS to domestic gates. Still had to go through security (either upstairs or down) to get to D gates.

Hopefully some reroute for will take place soon, perhaps using the F gate cut over by the nexus machines?

On Friday I flew SIN-HKG-YVR-YOW. Yes, it was a long day. I have not done an Intl-Dom transfer at YVR in quite some time. There was a domestic connections exit from the baggage hall well to the right of the normal exit. Not sure if this route has been there for a while or if it is new. My Nexus receipt and declaration form were collected as I exited, then up an elevator for security screening--only one PAX ahead of me--then down an escalator to emerge in the domestic airside gate area. Relative painless.
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13F

That was my experience as well. I was hoping OSS was implemented in YVR and there would not be a secondary security screening . Wait to see what happens in YYZ on Thursday when I return .

I would be thrilled if YYZ implemented something similar. The long landside walk to arrive at a backed-up connections security screening is such a downer when I only have one more short flight home to YOW.
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13F

On Monday April 4 flew LAS/YVR/YMM and had OSS on our boarding passes. In YVR we were all directed to a new area immediately to the right as you come down the stairs in the customs arrival area. This was because we had a domestic connecting flight. Had to stand in the queue much longer than if I had gone through the NEXUS queue. After clearing, did not have to collect baggage but exited through a special 'domestic connecting passengers' area. Still ended up outside of security, had to walk to the next set of gates and go through security again. So no clue what OSS did other than make us stand in a queue longer than if I had used the NEXUS line.

Not good. If a process gets tweaked, shouldn't the goal be to improve on the previous process?
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13F

In YVR, the separate right-hand exit from customs, then corridor to dedicated connecting-to-domestic security screening has been there for some time. (I used it 6 times in the past year, well before OSS came into the picture). It is a mixed blessing; if queues are short it does actually save time and hassle. But, as others have written, there is no Nexus line so if queues are long it can take longer than exiting to arrivals and going to C departures.

I think OSS is an idea which still doesn't seem to have implementation to match in Canada.

@seat13f_ac_crj - I feel your pain, often do that (Intl-YYZ-YOW), my record being 17 mins from exit from Intl flight to presenting myself at the YOW departure gate. I'm not sure the pax in the seat beside me YYZ-YOW appreciated my sweatiness, though.

You may already be aware - but if the lineup at the YYZ connections security is long and you have Nexus, just take escalator up just to the left of the connections security entrance and use your Nexus to clear normal 3rd floor security more quickly. An annoying extra detour, but often does the trick.

I end up taking the escalator at YYZ at least half the time.

"Rant on:" I love having NEXUS and the benefit that it gives me access to priority screening... in theory. In reality, it only gives me access to a priority queue because once you are through the queue, you end up behind people who went through the normal queue and have either been redirected to the priority lane, or simply shuffled over. This issue recently became a big deal in the US with Pre-Check lanes not being kept dedicated to pre-enrolled travellers. "Rant off"
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13F

Just got OSS on my YYZ-MUC boarding pass for tomorrow's SFO-YYZ-MUC-TXL flight. Has it been rolled out at YYZ yet?

Let us know, still waiting to hear from FT'ers if they have had a different experience when flying in from outside Canada.

Got it today and was wondering. I'll report back after security.

Nothing doing at YUL.

Looks like this is up and running at YYZ. While connecting SFO-YYZ-MUC, an airport staff member at the connections customs desk took a look at my boarding pass bearing the "OSS" stamp and opened a side door for me so I didn't have to go through security again. :)

Was this after leaving immigration where you go left but before you had to show your boarding pass and then have to take elevator to security?

I'm not sure what you're referring to. This was right after the special customs desk for connections to E gates. There is a small security area right behind there, but the airport staff opened a door to the right and waived me through. No elevator to speak of.

Got it ! This does reduce connection time . No waiting in a security line .

Can anyone report back on implementation of OSS at Heathrow (when originating in Canada)? Have to transfer T3 to T5 on a legal-but-tight connection and being able to skip transit security would be nice.

OSS Experience:
 

I just went throughYVR from LAS - asked an AC Concierge / CATSA Supervisor / AC Counter Agent and nobody knows anything about the OSS designation. How sad that the travelers who this affects know about the initiative but the employees of the agency that implemented the program and the reps of the airlines don't know anything about it. To be fair, did find one YVR vest person who knew about it but no one listened to her.

OSS Vancouver
 

I flew from SEA to YYZ via YVR and got the OSS stamp on my boarding pass (YVR-YYZ) as FrequentlyTired did, I asked around but no one at the Vancouver airport had a clue about it. I asked at the front desk of the MLL and one of the agents took out a memo and mentioned that they got the information back in February, but they did not know how it is going to be applied (at least at YVR).

Update on YYZ: While this worked great going from US to int'l, that is not the case for the reverse. Still had to go through regular (Nexus / GS) security.

Had "OSS" going from DCA through YYZ to YOW on Sat 23 Apr. No opportunity to diverge from usual hall leading to CBSA - went through as usual, then returned upstairs to go through security screening (no queue) and to the domestic gates.

Not surprised - didn't expect they'd set up an OSS diversion on a light travel day, but at the same time didn't see where they could've let me cut through to the domestic gates either (maybe through the international gates?).

Flew in from Amsterdam enroute to YYJ . Had OSS on my boarding pass printed at airport in AMS . In Toronto no change at all with security compared to previous travel.

Waiting to see what OSS will do for travellers

My experience was the same. I flew yesterday LHR-YYZ-YOW with OSS printed on my LHR-issued BP. I never have checked bags but I had a few minutes to spare, so I turned left after the customs hall to the connections bag drop.

The two AC staff on duty were aware of OSS and they knew that it would be coming to YYZ, but they had no information as to timing, nor as to the path to follow inside the airport. They pointed at an area behind the current connections desks saying whatever is there now is being moved so speculating that the path could be there.
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13F

It may be that you've already done this transfer and discovered the answer yourself (!), but it is a UK Government requirement that all departing passengers are security screened to UK standards. This includes arrivals from the EU and the UK's Common Travel Area partner, the Republic of Ireland. The only transit passengers who do not have to pass through secondary security are those who have originated from a UK regional airport (plus Belfast in Northern Ireland, which falls under the UK standards), so OSS will not be implemented in the UK - probably ever.

That's unfortunate. I ended up changing my travel plans to transit through ZRH instead, which was a breeze compared to Heathrow! No OSS though.

Big changes in the transborder (going to US) at YYZ. In the past it was go through customs then go through security, now they've flipped it. So I assume ppl flying through YYZ onward to the US will bypass security very soon.

Yup, already in this thread

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...ocess-yyz.html

The path will occur well before that, likely up in the arrivals hallways. The key here is that OSS is negated the instant a person has access to any checked bags (not just their own) or non-OSS screened passengers. So they need to capture and process OSS screened people as early in the stream as possible to prevent contamination.

What does OSS - Zone 1 mean?
 

So on my boarding pass today, under boarding zone it lists "OSS - Zone 1". I've certainly never noticed the OSS notation before. Anyone have any idea what it means? The gate agent had no idea, and now I am curious.🤔

One Stop Security

Countries that participate in OSS don't require OSS PAX to be security screened at onward airports as they recognize the original OSS countries security standards.

Just flew SJC-YVR-YYC yesterday and can confirm that OSS on my boarding pass made absolutely no difference at all to security screening. I still exited the transborder area and had to go through the main YVR security screening process. I had Nexus, so that sped it up. I actually did not know what OSS meant until I came to Flyertalk later, but no Air Canada agent seemed to know what it meant either.

Thanks Dorian. Ironically, it made no difference to the security screening in YVR; I still had to exit the secure area and clear security once again in YVR.