SSSS
 

Just got the dreaded SSSS on my ticket back to the U.S.

Backstory: I booked an award one-way ticket to Europe and bought an open-jaw ticket with a one-night layover in JFK. I'd fly the next day to Asia.

Do you think the SSSS is because I have a "one-way" ticket back to the U.S. even though it's technically a ticket with a stopover?

I'm hoping this issue won't give me headaches down the road in terms of GE and TSA Precheck. I'm a U.S. citizen with GE.

Anyone experience this before? Any thoughts on this issue?

Just give yourself an extra 30 minutes at checkin to allow for extra screening. Pro impact down road , almost certainly either the one way or a randomizer picked you. I'm a math major, so technically it's a pseudo-randomizer.

I seem to get it a lot of time at international stations. Most of the time it is noting, like they have no idea what SSSS even means but in KEF they had to take me off the jet bridge and walk me to a special room to look at my bags. Almost missed the flight because of it.

Ah, the ole SSSS. I don't think they use that in the U.S. anymore. They now treat everyone as a selectee (except pre check).

I've gotten that a few times out of CUN. I noticed the agent had a list of the people who were SSSS. Saw about 10 names on there for a MD88 flight. This was definitely random, but in your case it's hard to tell.

Ugh! Had this in DOH last year after winding up in the hospital over there and having to change my return ticket multiple times. Not a pleasant experience in any way, shape or form. They EMPTIED every one of my bags and carry-ons and treated me like an absolute criminal. Worst part is when you have SSSS on an international arrival into the US Global Entry does not work. It flags you for additional screening by a CBP agent.

Only time I've gotten it has been on same-day turnarounds USA-EUR-USA. Even then I rarely get it, but I'm certain that sort of pattern in segments helps trigger selectee status.

I've gotten these a few times -- all were one way tickets purchased int'l (not for extended periods, it was just cheaper to fly one airline in and another out). That might have something to do with it?

Had it out of BCN once... talk about the worst experience ever. The DL gate has a special cordoned off area across from it for the SSSS'd pax, along with armed security guards who barely speak any english while they go through all of your stuff painstakingly slowly. They start the 3rd degree inspections about 45 min before boarding and don't finish with all the pax until everyone else is boarded. Nice way for BE/STE+ pax to get that 'seamless' experience.

I got SSSS leaving EZE last year, on a LAX-EZE business class sale fare, which was RT.

Nothing happened until the gate, when someone sitting at a table at the entrance to the gate house (not at the podium) took a pen and crossed out the SSSS on my boarding pass. I then boarded. It was almost funny.

Actually had the same experience when doing a same day JFK-BCN-JFK run in J. Kind of irritating, but I don't think the airline has much say in the matter.

SSSS
 

Quick update: When the agent scanned by BP, it made a horrible noise. She then checked me off her list of other pax who won the SSSS lottery. I walked down the jet bridge and then had to go to a screening area with other agents who went through all my bags. Agent said it was random. Thankfully, GE worked for me upon arrival, and I have TSA pre for my flight tomorrow afternoon. I hope this doesn't happen again; it's rather unpleasant.

I had a fun SSSS experience the other day. I was forced onto Frontier because of stupid corporate travel policy for my SNA-DEN flight. I tried to check in online, it said I couldn't for "unknown reasons". I go to the counter, they print my boarding pass. I'm already used to using mobile boarding passes(you know, on other modern airlines), so I don't even look at it and head to security. The grumpy TSA agent scribbles and stamps my pass, I go through security and head to the gate. Just after boarding starts, they call my name and the gate agent looks at my boarding pass while on the phone with someone... I'm told I have to go back to security. That's when I notice the SSSS. I guess they somehow realized they missed it, but the amusing(read: sad) part is that once I get back to security and they're in the process of dumping my bag out and giving me my free body massage, one of the TSA guys is trying to figure out(unsuccessfully) who checked my boarding pass and missed the SSSS. Turns our their "scribble" system doesn't work very well. What a joke. Thankfully Frontier held the flight for me, I was the last one on the plane.

So, learn from my mistakes: pay attention to your boarding pass and point it out to TSA, because they probably aren't paying attention.

I just got my first SSSS in a long time coming back from NRT to the US this week.

Printed on both of my int'l and domestic pass. In NRT, I was given a simple pat down and a quick rummage through my stuff on the jet bridge.

In DTW, they acted horrified that I was their 4th SSSS in 20 minutes coming from INT'L. It took quite a long time to get through with the pat down, testing of my bags, going through everything, having a training guy look through stuff then break my sunglasses and forget to give my cell phone back.

The supervisor was really nice and didn't understand why I got it with Global Entry, normal tickets, etc. They were all talking about how many they had gotten recently with 4th of July coming up.

A couple of months after 9/11, I tried to overnight a grant proposal to Bethesda, but now couldn't do that because you had to be a "known shipper," and the airlines required some lengthy BS to become one.

I ended up buying a last minute roundtrip ticket to SFO-DCA with about 4 hour turnaround time, and had no luggage except my carton full of copies of the grant.

Something about that triggered multiple SSSS on every segment of the RT flight.

And they were thorough.

I hope the topic of the grant proposal sounded innocuous. I would hate to imagine what could have happened if aircraft design or risk assessment had been associated with the topic area.