I don't understand this scenario...wouldn't the pax had been SSSSed on their original flight?

No kidding.

MarcPHL - Not if they had both boarding passes printed, and were SSSS on both sets. They go through additional at JFK, come to Orlando, get off at their gate, and are heading to MIA on the same airline. They wouldn't have their SSSS cleared for MCO, and since they weren't cleared the airline wouldn't let them on. So, we'd have to send someone out there to clear them.

It's stupid, I'm aware of this.

Yup.

Happened to me in RNO last year.

My AA flight was cancelled and they rebooked me on a connector through LAX on Alaska. The gate agent did me a favor and rebooked me even though she told everyone to go back through security to the ticket counter. When I walked over to get my boarding pass from Alaska, it had the "SSSS" on it. :td: I made a remark about it to the agent and she told me "Just stay in the secure area if you want. I'll be working the flight and I won't call anyone to screen you when we board." SANITY!!! ^

I was SSSSd for no ID in SEA back in November. Then I took a bump from CO over to DL and they managed to not include my FF#, so I was SSSSd again, even though I was already inside security That wasn't fun. I actually walked back up to security instead of waiting until boarding to deal with it. The guy freaked out when I didn't have my carry-on with me (it was in a locker in the CRC) but eventually I convinced him to just wand me and get it over with. Entertaining to say the least, though the 3x back and forth on the SEA terminals that night definitely got me a good workout prior to the redeye home.

The agents apparently can actually remove the notation from a BP, as I've had them do it for me before, but this one wasn't having any of it :td:

Ohhh yea. I watched them do it at a couple of gates. They set up the little table they had and pulled an unfortunate victim. When it came time for us to board, just before we started boarding (I was in line for #1) I saw them heading our way and thought OH $*!T they are gonna get me for sure. I guess they saw my 3 small kids and did not get me, but the poor guy right behind me got it... and he was fuming mad when he finally got onboard.

I've seen it (still) being done at various airports. It's like watching the proverbial head nun walk down the hall with a ruler in her hand - people cower in fear.

The worst is when they do it on a WN flight and pick one of the folks that paid extra for early boarding.

Happy to do it! :)

Same thing happened to me last summer in ATL, when my AA cancellation was rebooked to DL. The GA, who reissued a BP, told me they would ignore the haraSSSSment, and they did.

US does even better. Due to flight delays at DCA I "interlined" US flght A to US flght B, and got a SSSS BP for my trouble. The CS agent (inside security) couldn't comprehend why I wanted the SSSS removed and wouldn't take the extra effort (perhaps impossible with SHARES) to remove it. He swore it wouldn't be an issue on boarding, and he was correct. :):rolleyes:

The airlines have no incentive to care. Since the TSA has no method for tracking who has been issued an SSSS and who has actually been secondaried, they have no knowledge of whether the individual was screened at the gate on a connecting SSSS. I have yet to see a GA that complains about no initials/scribbles from TSA on any BP, and I never present my connecting BP to the initial TSA at the originating airport.

Yet another notch in the BS of our current security regime.

Happened to me at LGA on US a few months back. They delayed a flight I was on, then sent it MX; the GA handled rebooking awfully, with some full-fare and elite pax having to do standby and some no-status, discount pax getting confirmed seats--but that's beside the point here.

The GA issued my BP with a big "SSSS" on it. I pointed it out and said, "I wasn't a selectee on the original flight, so I want you to take it off for this one." She first acted like she didn't know what I meant, then claimed she couldn't do anything, then claimed they wouldn't be calling the TSA to the gate anyway.

Fortunately, the GA who did board the flight indeed didn't call for screening for any of the SSSS pax who boarded.

What would happen if one purchased merchandise air-side that would not be permitted through the checkpoint?

Like a bottle of water?:D

Don't get me started on that one! ;)