NihonNick

Dear all,

(My apologies for starting a new thread; I did a search for this but I could not find the answer covered elsewhere, please feel free to redirect me and remove this thread if this question has been covered already.)

It seems to me that everybody who reads these forums knows what SSSS on a boarding pass means, although it is not "officially" documented (try searching for "SSSS" on the TSA website).

Furthermore it seems also that it is relatively easy to evade the secondary screening by purchasing a fully-refundable return ticket, using said ticket to pass through the check-point, "accidentally" duplicating the TSA's mark on the boarding pass when your pen "slipped" and inadvertently thus appearing that the secondary screening was performed, and cancelling the return ticket.

However, as far as I can tell there is nothing "illegal" in the above process in terms of evading the secondary search, although it could obviously be taken to be highly suspicious. You can purchase return tickets. You can write whatever you like on a boarding pass. You can cancel return tickets.

What grounds could there be for further action? Once the passenger is air-side they will have successfully passed through security and will have a boarding pass for a flight due to leave from that terminal. If the consequence of an SSSS mark is not a procedure that passengers have been informed of, how can they be accused of intentionally evading it?

Your comments and assistance, as always, are appreciated.

Thanks

Nick

Japhydog

There was another thread here that discussed making 'alterations' to boarding passes in order to avoid SSSS. There were differing opinions (and a quite heated debate) about whether or not it was illegal.

There is nothing illegal about buying a full fare refundable ticket and then returning it when one decides not to use it. The day that becomes illegal is the day I say goodbye to the United States of America, and the freedom for which it stands (or once stood anyway).

myefre

As long as our glorious leaders in Washington say it is legal than it is.

damorgan

There is nothing illegal about buying a full fare refundable ticket and then returning it when one decides not to use it. .[/QUOTE]

Japhydog, are you an accountant? You're obviously a master of the tax avoidance as opposed to tax evasion philosophy.

In the circumstances as described, there is no intention to use the ticket so in my book it is plainly a scam to have bought it in the first place. No idea if it's illegal though.

Spiff

Impossible to prove in a court of law unless the accused confesses.

eyecue

As one poster alluded to this has been discussed. IF you alter a boarding pass you could be charged with forgery, etc. IF you do the process described by purchasing another ticket that is not SSSS then you run the risk of being charged with interference with the screening process. If you have both BP's on you, then it would not be hard to prove that you did it. Besides that, there is a civil penalty and you could end up on a no fly list. Is it worth it?

Japhydog

One has done nothing illegal by choosing to buy, then buying, a ticket. Are you going to charge a husband/father with interfering with the screening process for doing the same thing to help his wife and children through the checkpoint?

"Interfering with the screening" process cannot be so vague and all-encompassing as to include buying another ticket on the same flight. Maybe I wanted a seat open next to me. Maybe the airline put me in coach and I decided I might want first, then later decided against the extra expense. Maybe I just wanted a trip to the airline lounge and this was a good way to trick them.

As many of us demanded in the previous thread regarding altering a boarding pass -- show me the statute. If you don't have a statute or a regulation, you cannot convict me of a crime. Thankfully, that's how it still works in the United States of America. (Excepting of course Guantanamo.)

FliesWay2Much

A couple of points --

1. I'm not a lawyer, but I don't believe you can commit "forgery" on an un-official document (like a boarding pass). If it were discovered that an individual altered a boarding pass to avoid an SSSS gate grope, I'm not so sure the forgery charge would stick. However, I'm sure that the TSA and DOJ would want to make an example out of somebody. Surely, some sort of charge of interfering with screening and a civil fine would apply.

2. I agree with the other posters' comments about a second completely valid non-SSSS boarding pass. The TSA/DOJ would have to prove intent that a passenger bought the ticket solely to avoid the SSSS. Unless the passenger was a complete blabbermouth, you couldn't prove that unless a cop beat (figuratively) a confession out of the passenger.

3. Regardless, I think altering a boarding pass is a bad idea because the whole point is to demonstrate how useless the SSSS designation is. Challenging the system with an altered boarding pass would make the issue the altered boarding pass -- not SSSS.

geckoflyer

On behalf of your moderator team - I'd like to suggest that no one alter a boarding pass to avoid the dreaded SSSS.

As has been posted in a few threads - your SSSS boarding pass must still be marked prior to boarding your flight (per TSA rules). Marking your own boarding pass is clearly not how the system is intended to work - and will probably be considered a crime.

Some friendly words of warning! I'd hate to see any of our valuable FTers find themselves in court - or on a no-fly list!

-Chris
TS&S Moderator

GradGirl

On the other hand, even assuming one is too worried about the consequences to fake a TSA marking on the real SSSS boarding pass, usually the gate agent will simply not notice the lack of TSA marking on an SSSS boarding pass.

Therefore, one course of action is to buy another fully-refundable ticket, use the non SSSS boarding pass to pass the checkpoint, and then just hope that the gate agent doesn't notice the lack of TSA marking on your real boarding pass. If the gate agent does see it, you're in no worse position than you were before - you submit to groping and then board. If the gate agent doesn't see it, you and your property have escaped the TSA unmolested. Traveller: 1 TSA: 0

eyecue

N.D.C.C § 12.1-24-01. The statute provides:


1. A person is guilty of forgery or counterfeiting if, with intent to deceive or harm the government or another person, or with knowledge that he is facilitating such deception or harm by another person, he:

a. Knowingly and falsely makes, completes, or alters any writing; or
b. Knowingly utters or possesses a forged or counterfeited writing.

Japhydog

How does this apply to buying another ticket? And what is N.D.C.C.? North Dakota Criminal Code?

Yaatri

Possession of two BP's is perefctly ok if you are larage and decide you want two seats. If I paid for two seats I would want two BP's to proves that I am entitled to two seats. Butt hey have to be on the same flight. .

Japhydog

It is a North Dakota Code. Surely you know that only applies in North Dakota, and only to the North Dakota State Government and not the TSA which is part of the federal government?

I guess I needed to say "show us the relevant statute," not just show us the statute...

bocastephen

I can neither confirm or deny I ever altered a boarding pass with SSSS , but I believe that is why online check-in is locked out for folks who have been selected for extra groping. I also believe that the SSSS code is engrained in the bar code, and altering the pass without changing the bar code would be an instant tip-off that something is not right.

Delta, who loves to play the roll of good cop and government citizen, has their system setup so every SSSS pass gets an extra 'beep' from the boarding card reader and the gate agent will usually collect the large section of the card with the TSA stamp and give you the small receipt after typing something secret on their console to make sure you feel like a criminal or second class citizen.

As far as buying refundable tickets to get through the SSSS, that is alot of work to skip what is usually just a few minutes of nonsense, but if I knew I would be in a hurry and had a full collection of carry-ons I did not want rummaged through, I might consider doing it - I dont see how the system would catch you, especially if you bought the ticket from another airline using the same concourse as the one you are flying. As an added bonus, if you dont have elite status on the airline you're really flying, just buy a refundable F ticket and you can skip the line altogether