nkedel

The Turkey problem seems particularly annoying; what I can say is that getting Global Entry seems to have fixed my similar, but non-identical problem of having been selected consistently for screening by CBP coming back from Southeast Asia (which ran for about two years, and I'm fairly sure came out of my returning to SFO one time sick as a dog with a 102f fever and something flu-like I picked up in HKG.)

FateSucks

Then, that is just plain paranoia on the U.S. part and your friend should No longer fly on US carriers if that is the case.

But that is just just my opinion. US carriers have more stringent security than foreign carriers that I refused to fly with them due to ICTS hired by US carriers (very rude to me).

exbayern

I would suggest paranoia as well as ignorance. But as GUWonder points out, this is really only a concern for those flying on a US carrier to the US (and probably more often if it is an issue, it is for American flyers). The accounts of flying from a European airport are people being questioned by the contractors hired by the US, not by European officials.

Flying on one way tickets to and from Turkey or flying to and from Turkey in general does not cause issues for us in Europe. I speak from experience after countless trips to various parts of the country over the years on one way and on return tickets (but I also do not require any visa for Turkey so the Americans have no clue that I have been there should I find myself having to fly a US carrier to the US - which I try and avoid at all costs due to the general paranoia and ignorance which that entails)

kmersh

I think that is just it, Europe had not adopted the stance that USA has with regards to Turkey. The USA has always had a little (or a lot more) Xenophobia than a good deal of the rest of the world has had and it seems over the last 14 years to have ebbed and flowed depending on current events.

Not an excuse by any means I truly wish that it was not the case, personally I wish the USA would be less chicken little when it comes to this kind of stuff as for whatever potential good it might do, IMHO it does a lot more to annoy people and make the USA a lot more unfriendly than it needs to be, but that is my opinion. I am sure if you (the general you not anyone specifically) were to poll many USA citizens they would be in favor of the paranoia if it keeps them safe (or even just marginally safer).

In my field I find that many USA citizens who come through my ER want Antibiotics because it is easier to take something than deal with the unknown of potentially not getting better on their own. I sort of equate that to the SSSS problem, the mentation is it is better to do something than take the harder approach of remaining calm and doing nothing. Another issue is s**t rolls down hill in the Government and nobody wants the s**t to fall on them. So by doing something (even if it is ineffective) it acts like a protection mechanism and if the s**t were to roll down hill they can say well we did something to prevent it, when the recriminations come around.

Another part is the people who come up with these actions do not experience these actions (like SSSS) themselves so they do not know nor care how they annoy the general public. It is sort of like, well it is for the greater good and if we inconvenience some people, oh well.

As a side note, none of this takes away from the USA (for which I am a citizen) a nation I love very dearly and am proud to call home, but as a citizen I do not have to love every aspect of my nation and I do not love the paranoia/xenophobia that my nation can exude.

choatie88

Maybe sometimes, random really does mean random. I got SSSS for the first time ever a few weeks ago, despite being Global Entry and getting PreCheck for every flight.

I worried lots about this.

Flying again tomorrow and PreCheck is back.

Jasonkr

Recently had SSSS for ICN-SEA
First time getting one, I think it's because it was one-way ticket

I have Global Entry & PreCheck. U.S. Citizen. Delta Gold Medallion
Never traveled to Turkey.
O class (Booked with SkyMiles, about 2 months ago before departure)

I wasn't able to check in online, it said I can't check in because of government regulation. so I searched it, and found out it would be SSSS. Tried to minimize stuffs in my carry-on bag.

During Checkin
I got my boarding pass @ Kiosk (Printed out SSSS)
then went to see check-in agent to drop off some baggages.
Check-in gate staff paged someone(supervisor I assume) she asked me
1. Where I stayed in Korea
2. How long I stayed
3. How often I visit Korea
She also informed me that 5% of passengers randomly gets selected for SSSS and there will be a secondary security check near boarding bridge.

Before entering boarding bridge
They checked everyone's boarding pass to if they had SSSS or not.
Got pulled over to side as I expected.
They asked me to take off my shoes, Place carry on baggage on table
1. They swiped my backpack (inside & outside)
2. Pulled out laptop to check if it's working
3. Asked me to turn on my cellphone
4. Checked if there is any hidden compartment in shoes
After that, they let me go.

Not that much hassle as I expected.
Hopefully I won't get SSSS on next trip

patgarrett

Is SSSS the right designation for the checks applied at foreign airports? I've been getting them since early summer at LHR (I live in the US and enter on an E3 visa but travel frequently from LHR to NYC). They started in late June when I traveled DXB-LHR-LAX-AUS (F mistake fare). I've since traveled LHR-NYC 4-5 times (there was a second DXB-AUS trip in late August) and have been given a secondary each time. Nearly all the flights have been one-ways. Is it the one-ways in F from DXB that are likely to have triggered this?

I wrote to DHS and received a redress number but no explanation. There are never any problems on arrival at JFK. I'm concerned because I'd like to apply for Global Entry next month and wondered if this would jeopardise my application.

patgarrett

Please disregard the second paragraph. I've only just discovered that Aussies are ineligible for GE.

Dieuwer

Some sort of travel warning for Turkey is up since September 3rd.
http://travel.state.gov/content/pass...l-warning.html

fayraree

I have experienced the SSSS in 2 separate periods. I had my redress number, Nexus card, and airline status previously. Travelled domestically a lot for work. Then I travelled to SE Asia for a wedding and when I came back, I had SSSS on my boarding passes for 3 roundtrip flights (6 legs in total with SSSS over a period of 3 weeks). In the 4th week, SSSS was gone and life was back to normal.

Keep in mind my Nexus was done when I was a CDN citizen and US PR. Went to the ME and SE Asia again for work, come back, and domestic flights were again SSSS for 2 weeks this time.

Then I got my US citizenship and enrolled in the STEP program and registered all my foreign travel before I left the US. I registered my trips to 3 ME countries and SE Asia. I also changed jobs at this point and no longer needed to travel domestically as frequently.

I didn't fly domestically until 2 months after returning from overseas this time. No issues at all, no SSSS. Is it because I was now a US citizen and registered travel on STEP or because a lot of time passed since the travel date, or neither...you be the judge!

Cargojon

I got an SSSS in ZRH a little over a month ago. My first time ever. I have Pre + Global Entry.

I think it's because due to a death in the family I changed my ticket at the last minute to fly home after 3 days instead of 2 weeks. Have flown since - nada, normal pre-check, etc.

progapanda

Agreed about the random part, have been SSSS'd 3 times out of 120+ segments in the last six years (while having Global Entry) on UA/GRU-IAD, AA/LHR-JFK and EK/DXB-JFK.

All tickets were advance round-trip purchases, some in Y, some in J.

The only common element was that they were all flights from overseas into major US cities. Meanwhile, I've had travel to "problematic" countries like Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan etc. within this timeframe as well, and those flights went off uneventfully.

Go figure.

Madison Guy

I do NOT think so. I've ONLY has SSSS from ZRH, and on the last two trips - both in 2015. Never before from ZRH, and (thankfully) never from another INTL direct flight to the U.S (or partner flights.) Something us there - whether triggered by the TSA (Personally I doubt it) - or something at ZRH (my suspicion) I can't confirm.

OskiBear

I got SSSS last week coming home from LHR (to LAX).

I have Global Entry/Pre-Check, the trusted traveler info is in my AA profile.

I was traveling with my partner who does not have Global Entry, etc. and we were on one PNR (that I booked). It's been booked for nearly a year. Nothing unusual, standard LAX-LHR-LAX roundtrip.

I got selected, he didn't. This was my second time in a couple of years where I had to go through this rigamarole at the gate in LHR.

Fortunately, it wasn't too intrusive and the agent was very pleasant and friendly. In fact, it was more pleasant than the obnoxious questioning they usually do at the gate. However, once screened, I had to sit in the pen by myself until boarding. He did, however, come and get me when boarding started, so I ended up being the first on the plane, well ahead of everyone else.

miamiflyer8

I have thankfully never been flagged SSSS. God knows how team Miami is going to tease me if I get flagged. I have heard that traveling to Turkey can flag you SSSS. And I'm transiting via Istanbul...