How do I get off the watchlist?
 

I'm in the middle of a RTW trip and I've been having terrible security/immigration/customs troubles the whole way. I'm "clean-looking", not too young, am Star Gold, and have never been in any legal trouble whatsoever in my life. Still, I got SSSS in LHR and LAX, a long ordeal at customs in AKL, a lot of confusion trying to check in at SYD... I've also been unable to check in online for any of my legs.

Is there any way to find out definitively why this is happening, and more importantly, is there a way to get off whatever watchlist I'm on?

SSSS is a TSA thing. You can't possibly get it at LHR.

If you are flying to the United States from LHR, you most certainly can.

There are two possibilities: either you are the person on the watch list or the person on the list has the same name as you. For the latter, you can get a "redress number". For the former, there's no known way to get off the list. But it's most likely the latter.

This website will start the 'redress' process which may or may not work:

https://trip.dhs.gov/

The letter you get back will have a redress number on it which may or may not work.

An employee of my company went through the process and now puts that number on all is reservations and hasn't had any problems since. YMMV, of course.

I'm on a near name list. SSSS was common for me at first. When I checked in, a TSA warning came up on their screen. It was the Airline that assigned the SSSS on the boarding pass. Now that I'm Gold & Platinum with most US Airlines, I don't get the SSSS anymore.

The entire concept of Air Travel has gotten out of hand.

I had that once when flying from SEA to Toronto because I booked on UA but flew on AC. No one at TSA or the airlines could think of another reason, because I am otherwise squeaky clean. Hadn't happened before and hasn't since, but did on each of those flights, so that must have been it.

Just because you've been flagged once for extra security doesn't mean you're on a watchlist. You mentioned being Star Gold (so you fly enough) -- has this happened to you before?

If you continue to have problems, then going the route of redress is definitely the right way to go. Otherwise, I'd just brush it off as a fluke.

Adding a middle initial to your name has been reported as working.

I'm Star Gold via United Mileage Plus. When I fly UA, this never happens, but on every other airline it does. I'll do the redress application for sure, so thanks everyone for the tips. My only concern is that I have two passports so I guess I'll have to do it twice, but hopefully that won't raise additional red flags.

Do you mean that when I book a ticket I give the first name as JamesR for example? That won't cause the airline to think I've just misspelled my name, right?

That's the idea.

I think it might make them think that, but what does that matter? Now that SecureFlight is in full swing it might not work any longer because they they can match your DOB; I'd try the redress process.