lamphs

This is all random. Within the past 6 months for me:

• FCO-FRA-IAD on LH as *G. No additional security other than a passport check prior to entering the gate area (and no xray/body scan devices visible) - no questions, no sticker - and I do recall separate lines into the gate area for the passport check for those with status and those without.
• LHR-IAD on UA as *G. No additional security, no passport check, no questions, no stickers, no xray/body scan devices visible.
• MUC-BOS on LH as *G. There were separate passport check lines into the gate area for those with status and those without. No questions. No stickers. But see my experience here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/35071113-post348.html

My point is that all of this is so random now. For the first FCO-FRA-IAD flight, I fully expected having the question/sticker session and was quite surprised when I did not. In fact, I was quite surprised to see passengers with duty free liquids from FCO being allowed to carry those onwards FRA-IAD (there was a couple that I traveled with who had some wines). But I plan on enough time just in case and I'd never do a DYKWIA because the security procedure is what it is and has nothing to do with status. In fact, if someone went in front of me, I'd be having some words.

wrp96

It only happens on US airlines. So fly LH from FRA to the US, no security theater sticker. But fly UA from FRA to the US, and suddenly you aren't safe to fly without that sticker.

VRFast

Hah, reminds me of what happened to us when we were running to make the gate from the disaster that is the Schengen to non-Schengen transfer passport control. That took over an hour and when we got to the UA gate they asked about the sticker, and I said the same as the OP, what sticker? However, the guy took mercy on us when I explained we were in line for an hour at passport control and were late. He asked us some questions and gave us the sticker so we could board. Yes, the secondary security line was 40 people deep at least that time too.

lamphs

YMMV.

mattg85

I remember doing this at all European airports as pointed out above.

however the last few times I’ve been out of LHR there has been nothing of the sort. No one at the check in counters and no requirement to have the sticker when boarding. Maybe something has changed in the process but either way it is a totally pointless exercise.

zmb

AF has the sticker people at the gates for US-bound departures. I've also seen the ICTS sticker stand at the EK check-in desks at ATH. Or AMS just tracks it by scanning your passport for DL/KL departures, no stickers to track it.

The only time I've not had security questions of any sort was LHR-ATL on VS, but the gate still had the trace detection machine set up.

nexus7556

Some other datapoints:

• CDG they have agents give you the sticker in the boarding line
• GVA consistently no stickering process

mduell

The Europeans haven't really come around on the whole low-hassle experience we're used to in the US where you checkin online, head to the lounge via a series of priority lines, then straight to pre-boarding. Very attached to the sticker game and implementing it for the lowest common denominator pax without differentiated handling for different pax profiles.

WineCountryUA

As this is a process independent of UA and involves moving between countries, this seems more relevant forPractical Travel Safety and Security Issues forum.

Let's continue the discussion there.

Note to debate the need or effectiveness, that's a discussion forCheckpoints and Borders Policy Debate

WineCountryUA
UA coModerator

downinit

They do the same thing when flying to the USA from ZRH on LX, only with a stamp on the boarding pass instead of a sticker on the passport. However, it is typically handled efficiently and not something to stress out about. BRU is just a terrible airport on all fronts.

GUWonder

For UA’s flights from BRU, the UA security contractor’s process has been like this for years now and is unfortunately nothing new at BRU. One upside of my being hit by the mess at BRU exit passport control is that it often means I’m getting to UA’s airside security contractor check area so late that there is no remaining line to deal with the UA security contractors. Sometimes they may call down to inform the gate that I or other passengers are on the way.

Schengen-side’s SN Lexus lounge is one of the upsides of BRU.

Artpen100

BRU is obnoxious about this. You also need to go to the sticker people if you are connecting Schengen to US, and I once forgot and almost didn't get to board because they weren't reminding people until they were trying to board. I was one of many. But also, the last time I was there last year (and this was BA or SN, not UA, I think), something did not check out and they made me go through the sticker line at the gate twice. They finally figured out that the check-in people had entered something wrong when I had checked in. After they figured it out and fixed it, I did go to the front of the (by then very loose) boarding line. Someone did say something and I replied that this was my second time in line and I was way ahead of them. They let it go.

GUWonder

Due to labor constraints, some waivers can be in play where they wouldn’t have been at this time in 2019. Given the security contractor pay, they have had retention and hiring issues too.

PushingTin

Wow, thanks for all the input and what a freaking odd thing to have so much variability in it. The funny thing is that I have total OCD when it comes to international travel and documents. On the outbound I posted about how I got a printed FRA-BRU BP in DEN so that I had something with my name and another flight on it because I had issues once with them not wanting to accept my App boarding pass.

Also, trips merge together in my head, and FRA's multilevel thing doesn't help my with that geo-spatial memory.
My main gripe was that the UA app said "travel ready", I now know to take that with a grain of salt. I'll probably be checking a bag with goodies next time, so hopefully I won't have this issue at MUC.

Adam1222

As has been repeatedly told to you, your focus on "travel ready" seems misplaced and unhelpful. Obviously your bags weren't screened, and your body had to go through security still. You hadnt boarded the plane yet. You hadnt buckled your seatbelt. All those things had to happen before your plane took off. You didn't assume "travel ready" meant that was done, did you?
You made a mistake, happens to all of us. You were wrong that stickers weren't security related. but blaming the app that indicated you'd uploaded the necessary documents seems far-fetched. And this wasn't a "fiasco" by any means. It was, at most, a mild inconvenience.