Really? 4 BP checks within 6 meters
 

Flewfrom LAX and had to undergo boarding pass inspection 7 times of which 6 times it was together with my passport.
4 of the 7 checks were done at the gate. An half hour before boarding, 6 or so TSA people came with a cart and set up before the BP scanner. Then when boarding began, the first check was with an airport employee who guarded the boarding line. Fine. After her, my boardingpass was checked with passport TWICE by the TSA. Two TSA checks within a meter apart... Really? And after that the customary BP scan.
I have no problem with the airline/airport employees checking my BP and passport while checking in, entering the passenger only zone or the boarding lane. But why does the TSA have to check at the gate multiple times? Really stupid, unnecessary and a hassle. :mad: What are they checking for? Do it right the first time @:-) and what does it have to do with security when I have been deemed sterile? :mad: Is this the theatre? :p
Is this a common thing on intl' flights out of the US? Or random?

I don't get it either. Last week at my home airport where we have all of two flights a day I had to give my BP to the lady at the WTMD which was all of maybe 8 feet (2.5m) from the TDC podium.

Clear evidence that TSA is over manned.

LAX TSA pulled this on a flight last week. Of course they let about 20 "passengers needing assistance" board first, and go unchecked.

When I asked the TSA clerk why he just let the first 20+ board unchecked, his answer was that there was a sign stating they're doing ID checks.

EWR has been doing this for several months now :td:

It used to be that this served to identify passengers who had "SSSS" (selectee screening) in case they were missed by the Travel Document Checker. Since the SSSS has (thankfully) been greatly reduced, the need for the double check seems highly questionable.

There are other problems:
1. With the widespread deployment of millimeter wave scanners, airports can't decide if you're allowed to have your boarding card in your hands. Some allow you to hold it in the air; others insist that it be x-rayed (in case you had concealed a knife inside your boarding card.)

2. Electronic/smartphone boarding passes are much more common, and also throw a monkey wrench into this system.

3. The TSA inspection of boarding cards at the gate is absurd. Since the overwhelming majority of US airports have bar code readers, and I don't know of any without computerized boarding, the verification that a passenger has a valid ticket has already occurred.

At Atlanta, it was explained to me that the gate boarding pass check was to ensure that the appropriate TSA "squiggle" or highlighter had been placed on the boarding pass, indicating that a travel document inspector had reviewed it. But mine had no "doodling" since it was issued at an overseas airport. I had to show her how the issuing location was printed on the boarding pass. The "doodle" varies across airports, and Atlanta has a majority of connecting passengers, so it's particularly ridiculous. It's busy work.

On a San Francisco-Frankfurt flight, we United inspecting boarding cards and passports, then the TSA, then Customs and Border Protection. I felt like I was in the third world! Boarding that 747-400 took a really long time!

Many European airports have bar code readers at the entrance to the x-ray/metal detector. This is in lieu of the "Travel Document Inspection." They don't do a passport verification; just the boarding pass.

Canada always seems to have the greatest number of boarding pass/scanning stops. Perhaps that's why it can take forever to get through US Preclearance in Toronto. This applies even if you have NEXUS and are flying in first/business class. It's a hassle.

I think that smartphone boarding passes are the key to getting through quickly. The TSA doesn't seem to know how to read them (except scanning them), and one can easily fumble and shut off the phone. By the time you find your phone, start to turn it back on, etc., the agent has given up and decided it's not worth his or her time.

What a nonsense. I frequently use another BP than I used at security, so without the scribbles. Be it because it is a mobile variant, home printed new one or in case of (an upgrade with) a new seat. What they wanna do about that?

I preboard. I have also never been checked as a preboarder nor have I ever seen any of my fellow preboarders get checked.

Why? Here is my wild guess. Preboarders must board first because they usually fall within some protected class that requires that they board first or the specific policies of the airline require it. Therefore, they must all be cleared before general boarding can even start. The meaningless delays would suddenly take on meaning and general boarders can be randomly inconvenienced without slowing the boarding process if non-screened passengers are allowed to walk around and board.

What about if you are connecting? I pull out my boarding pass for my departing airport which the TDC scribbles, I scan it at the gate and then stick it on my pocket. When at the gate for my next flight, I pull out my next (unscribbled) boarding pass.

That's not even getting into mobile boarding passes.

As an American, even when flying domestic, I use my passport at security as it is a standard ID and contains the bare minimum of info needed.

It is quite common outside of US too. At IST documents were checked:

- at the entrance of the airport
- passport check
- at the entrance of the departure gate section - three times
- right before boarding the plane, including checking carry-on luggage.

Who said make-work is a purely American phenomenon?

Similar experiances at Narita the last couple of months too.