Buster CT1K

For HKG to USA flights, is there still additional security at gate? Always find it unnecessarily invasive and inconvenient, since most other Asian airports don't make you get re-screened.

garykung

Only random security remains.

Buster CT1K

When did this change?

andersonCooper

Around the second half of 2017.

QRC3288

rest assured, it was not HKIA's or CX's idea. The "process", if we can call it that (given how much it varied across airports and airlines) was haphazardly demanded by a few US agencies, but ultimately it was the US Dept of Homeland Security. I can confidently say no Asian airline or airport I've spoken with thinks the program did anything except waste people's time and money who were traveling to America. (including a lot of Americans, of course).

Everyone here hated it. We are thrilled to see it go.

Although before the program died, the US govt upped the ante briefly, requiring pre check-in interviews that bordered on Theatre of the Absurd, had a brief period of "you must check your laptops" which then quickly pivoted to "okay just kidding now nobody check your laptops," CX USA-bound flights lost access to Airport Express check-in for a while (although comically, SQ didn't lose access to the Airport Express check-in for their daily HKG-SFO flight, leading to a weird situation where SQ had a legitimate advantage at CX's home port on an identical route. Apparently SQ wasn't in the first batch of airlines the US govt requested, they were to follow on later, because the list of airlines by implementation date was alphabetical lol). There were a few more bizarre policies in the pipeline that thankfully never got implemented.

Anyway, you can bring your bottled water from the airport on board now, no more secondary screenings / interviews, no more pre check-in interviews, etc. It's almost normal again.

Kacee

I've flown CX HKG-SFO twice in past six weeks and both times there was additional security at the gate.

andersonCooper

To everyone or only to SSSS/selected few?

QRC3288

When you say "security", what are you referring to? I knew they were still doing one-offs, but I wasn't aware "the process" was back.

What the OP was talking about (at least, what we were responding about) was the institutionalized process demanded by the US govt where every single passenger had to queue up at the boarding gate, put all their bags on a table, and each one of those bags was investigated for contraband including bottled water and liquids you have gotten inside the secure area. This was either done at a cordoned-off set of gates (usually gates 3-4), or on the jetbridge...which made boarding awful.

There was also another shorter-lived process forced on CX at HKG, where every single USA-bound passenger had to go to a special check-in aisle, and prior to check-in they had to do an interview and receive a stamp. "Conveniently" this also meant USA-bound passengers on CX couldn't use the Airport Express check-in option.

Are these processes back? If so, that would definitely suck.

Kacee

All passengers. They create a corral right in front of the gate. Passengers are directed one by one for brief interviews, with F/J pax given priority. Some have their carry-ons searched. Minor hassle, could be worse.

cxfan1960

It is much better than two years ago. They actually blocked off the waiting area. All carry-ons were checked and passengers were checked against SSSS for additional pat-down search. The current form is to interview passengers just before boarding and check them against the black list for further search.

andersonCooper

Interviews are still required (after which they put a sticker on your passport), but bag search is no longer required for all pax. So the process has not changed.

triplefives

I second this. I flew to SFO less than a month ago. They still put the sticker on the passport during the mini-interview prior to boarding but thank goodness the really irritating stuff is gone.

1kBill

I truly wonder if any of these "security" activities produced anything of value.

garykung

I have not had the interview for a long time.

Well, it could be 1) I am a U.S. citizen; 2) I travel on UA; 3) I flew to Guam first.

Kacee

Of course not. All window dressing.