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"Unable to check you in" (see Delta agent)

"Unable to check you in" (see Delta agent)

Old Jul 25, 19, 12:32 pm
  #1  
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"Unable to check you in" (see Delta agent)

Uh oh... did I finally get flagged as the dreaded quadruple ssss?

DH just checked in online for our return flight from EDI tomorrow morning. No problems.
When I went to do online check in moments later, I got a message similar to 'We are unable to check you in. Please see a Delta agent at the airport" (not exact wording, but very close).

Is there anything else that might cause this?
I had no problem checking in on the outbound flight (and in case it matters, I have "behaved myself" while here ).

The boarding time is also set for 55 minutes prior to departure time. We don't remember seeing this before, but given our penchant for arriving extra early (lest there be delays en route to the airport or airport delays - er, like I might be facing?), this shouldn't be a problem.

If it IS the dreaded "quadruple letter", are they likely to need any special docs that we might not have with us? Or mostly answer a bunch of questions? Or...?

Many thanks!

GC
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Old Jul 25, 19, 12:35 pm
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Originally Posted by GeezerCouple
Uh oh... did I finally get flagged as the dreaded quadruple ssss?

DH just checked in online for our return flight from EDI tomorrow morning. No problems.
When I went to do online check in moments later, I got a message similar to 'We are unable to check you in. Please see a Delta agent at the airport" (not exact wording, but very close).

Is there anything else that might cause this?
I had no problem checking in on the outbound flight (and in case it matters, I have "behaved myself" while here ).

The boarding time is also set for 55 minutes prior to departure time. We don't remember seeing this before, but given our penchant for arriving extra early (lest there be delays en route to the airport or airport delays - er, like I might be facing?), this shouldn't be a problem.

If it IS the dreaded "quadruple letter", are they likely to need any special docs that we might not have with us? Or mostly answer a bunch of questions? Or...?

Many thanks!

GC
This is what happens when you get SSSS on your BP. Sorry!
orlandodlplat is offline  
Old Jul 25, 19, 12:36 pm
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Its likely a SSSS (no special documentation or action needed on your part, just a little extra patience for extra security screening).

Could also be a global upgrade thats cleared but not properly reissued; if you were waitlisted for an upgrade of some kind, its worth calling to see if the ticket needs to be reissued.

But those two are pretty much the extent of the reasons for this error, and SSSS is the most likely. Dont panic - its annoying, but routine.
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Old Jul 25, 19, 12:41 pm
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Originally Posted by orlandodlplat
This is what happens when you get SSSS on your BP. Sorry!
No, this is not. It is pretty universal on international flights (to the US) these days as they expand the ridiculous behavioral interview program.

Delta does not allow online check-in at a lot of international airports. They will make you go to the check-in counter. Before stepping up to the actual counter, you will be greeted by a "security" contractor. This security contractor has a tablet and will ask you a series of behavioral questions to determine whether or not you are a "risk". If you are, then you will be subject to secondary screening at the gate.

I refuse to play along and answer any questions, so I always get my bagged searched at the gate. Depends entirely on the airport, sometimes it's a quick explosive swab, at others they completely search your bag like it is in the most interesting thing in the world and examine every little thing.

This was all implemented as a "compromise" to the DHS proposal of not allowing laptops in cabin luggage.

I guess you could say it is "SSSS" only in the sense that now everyone gets SSSS-lite treatment at many airports.

Security theater at its absolute finest.

I can't speak for EDI, but more and more airports have this now. I actually haven't flown internationally on Delta in the past year where this isn't the procedure.
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Old Jul 25, 19, 12:41 pm
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While it may be the SSSS, my first thought dealt more with it being an international flight. I've often not been able to check-in online via Delta when the first flight is international or on a code-share. If your passport number is not stored in your Skymiles account, it may want you to verify documents at the desk first. What is the first flight on the itinerary?
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Old Jul 25, 19, 12:46 pm
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Wow - that was fast!
Thanks!

Yeah, I was afraid of that, given the general nature of the notation.

Neither of us has yet been so tapped, so we'll view this as a little adventure.

To answer the above question, nope, no change/waitlist/etc.
We made the reservations a few weeks ago.

The only thing "different" is that I almost always fly premium when using awards. This time, because of the relatively late "purchase" decision, we both paid cash (well, we charged both; we didn't show up at the airport with bags of green paper!).
If that's it, then I wonder why DH wasn't flagged? He does travel for business more than I do, and those trips are always charged, not awards.
But *both* of us have done all of our recent - past 4 years - international travel using awards, except for this trip. And it's the first time I've ever flown Delta internationally, and the first time I've flown Delta in more than a decade, or perhaps two. DH flew Delta , domestically about 2 months ago, but otherwise it's been ages for him, too.

I can't think of anything else that's "different", and even less such that we differ from each other.

Thanks again.

Now... to try to remember my childhood best friend's cousin's third pet's name

GC
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Old Jul 25, 19, 1:04 pm
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This is one of those things where the only sensible thing to do is to call DL. If there is a ticket reissue problem, it is a lot easier to get that taken care of in advance rather than while watching the minutes tick by at EDI. If it is something security-related, you will receive some silly non-answer from DL, but will at least know that it's nothing to worry about.
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Old Jul 25, 19, 1:12 pm
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I got a strange message this week when trying to check in for a westbound TATL flight saying to try later. I looked at the ticket receipt and PNR carefully, yet everything seemed to be in order. About another later I decided to try again, from a different device, and everything worked fine, as expected. In the morning, I was able to print my boarding pass using the computer that I had tried earlier. No SSSS.
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Old Jul 25, 19, 1:47 pm
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That is the exact same message I got when trying to check in NCE to JFK last year. DH checked in fine and even got to print a BP. When we got to the airport, (we had hired a "greeter"), they did print my BP but it had the dreaded SSSS on it. The "greeter" arranged for us to be first in line and even went with me to the "special place". The agents obviously knew the greeter as they chatted away in French. It took about 5 minutes to swab every part of me that was showing and hubby and I still managed to be among the first to board. Just get to the airport early and make the DH carry most of the carry on stuff.
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Old Jul 25, 19, 2:00 pm
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FWIW, I get this as a permanent resident because green card verification still happens in-person.
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Old Jul 25, 19, 2:01 pm
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I agree that it is likely SSSS. And in case the OP is wondering what triggered it, it could possibly be nothing. A certain percentage of pax get randomly flagged for extra screening. It happens to all of us eventually. (Mine was earlier this year ex-STR)

As you were advised, go early, let your spouse take most of the carry-on items, and make sure what you carry is compliant. Oh, and be nice to the security agents, just because it is the right thing to do. Pax unload at agents for secondary screening when the agents have nothing to do with the selection. My SSSS experience was like getting a vaccination - the idea of it was a lot worse than it actually turned out to be.
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Old Jul 25, 19, 2:04 pm
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You actually don’t need to see a DL agent to check in if the issue is really SSSS. A kiosk will be able to check you in and print out your BP.
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Old Jul 25, 19, 2:15 pm
  #13  
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"Please see a Delta Agent" means document check. "Cannot check-in due to government regulations" means SSSS.
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Old Jul 25, 19, 2:34 pm
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Do I just live in a parallel world? Guys. This is 100% normal at most airports Delta services. You can longer do mobile / online checkin at most international Delta outstations. At large hubs they do questions at the gate, but at most smaller ones they do it at check-in now.

OP is probably fine, unless EDI is one of the airports that Delta does questions at the gate rather than checkin. If it is, then we can suspect that it is SSSS - but treating that as the default assumption is ridiculous given how DL is dealing with the new rules.
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Old Jul 25, 19, 2:43 pm
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Originally Posted by SDQBound
"Please see a Delta Agent" means document check. "Cannot check-in due to government regulations" means SSSS.
The message contained both statements, about needing to see a Delta Agent AND "...due to government regulations". It was indeed that latter wording that made me suspect that our long overdue date with quadruple S had finally arrived.

Originally Posted by ethernal
Do I just live in a parallel world? Guys. This is 100% normal at most airports Delta services. You can longer do mobile / online checkin at most international Delta outstations. At large hubs they do questions at the gate, but at most smaller ones they do it at check-in now.

OP is probably fine, unless EDI is one of the airports that Delta does questions at the gate rather than checkin. If it is, then we can suspect that it is SSSS - but treating that as the default assumption is ridiculous given how DL is dealing with the new rules.
DH had checked in online moments earlier, probably only a minute or so. And he had no difficulty.
Then I did *my* check-in. Oooops!

GC
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