economyplusfan

I discovered at CUN yesterday that if you have SSSS on your BP you are subject to extra screening (which we all know) at the gate (which I didn't know). As soon as you are done with your extra screening you can board. They call all passengers with SSSS on their BP into a special screening area right in front of the jet bridge, making the call just before A list boarders start. If you can get to the front of the queue for extra screening by anticipating this you can join the A listers when done. I was originally C23, was fourth to be processed for extra screening, and ended up joining the B1 through B30 group on the jet way.

NoStressHere

It is beyond any reasonable sense of logic that they still print SSSS on your boarding pass.

If you have that, you KNOW they are going to do extra inspection. So, if you are doing something wrong/dangerous, you can adjust what you are doing prior to boarding. How stupid are these people?

I remember getting it once. So, I gave my carryon to my wife to take on the plane. Somebody told me I was therefore putting others in danger trying to beat the system. That is just as stupid.


By the way, on our Cancun flight last year, they would call people up, but they spaced it out so that you were called up closer to when you would have boarded anyways. They did not call everyone at once, at least that day.

LegalTender

Sounds like a CUN thing. If you get the dreaded SSSS at a second airport in the next few months, you should apply for TSA Redress Number. It's basically an inquiry to have erroneous information corrected in DHS systems. Do not expect a quick turnaround.

exwannabe

I assume the SSSSS non-sense is really more of a QA check on TSA process than trying to catch terrorists., And if so, biassing the results by letting the pa know likely reduces the number of "fails".

GeezerCouple

This REALLY is the most stupid way to do this, assuming that it is really an attempt to "catch" those out to do harm.

When I got my first (hopefully only?) SSSS recently on a return from overseas, we initially couldn't figure out why DH could get his boarding pass in advance, but I could not. (A quick query here on FT got us the likely reason, the one that turned out to be correct.)

In our case, it was a total mistake that we ended up with switched carry-ons. I was already in the special "SSSS" line right at the gate, when I was getting my bag ready to put on the table, and I did a classic "double take". DH's and my bags are only very slightly different shades of off-black. I quickly glanced over at DH, who was standing near the agent where you show your boarding pass, and noticed that, yup, he had mine... and he was quite obviously oblivious to that fact.

I didn't say anything, figuring that speaking up would likely make things much worse, and fast (?).
But it sure did make me realize the absurdity of the advance flagging of SSSS!

"DUH!"

GC

MacGuruTX

NoStressHere

Somebody, I hope somebody can explain to me how getting SSSS makes us safer.

I do not understand it.

Am I just too stupid?

GeezerCouple

Sure... IF there are any "bad guys" who DO have various contraband IN their carry on luggage, and they neglected to give it to someone else or, at a minimum, trash it, when receiving that SSSS, then --->>> THEY WOULD BE CAUGHT! (Maybe?)

And any similar, upon NOT receiving the SSSS... could relax, get a nice drink or shoe-shine or haircut or maybe a nice box of chocolates or a local souvenir, because they know they are "home free" (so to speak)... NO last minute gate security for them!

Think about it: It's actually very efficient: The Security Agents won't have to waste time seriously searching through the belongings of the SSSS passengers, because they will have already sort of "pre-cleared themselves" by ditching anything worrisome. Neat idea, no?

Don't you feel better already?

GC

LegalTender

I would guess an extreme level of frequent travel, paying cash for tickets, one-way flights to or from an international location, travel from a country designated as ‘high-risk’ by the State Department, and last-minute flights might trigger it. Are you suggesting there are no valid reasons for secondary screening? The last time I got the "quad" they only swabbed the exterior of my bags and then checked the inside of my shoes. The process only took about one to two minutes.

I'm uneasy about variables at airports. PDX screeners seem especially thorough and intense. ATL screeners, just the opposite.

NoStressHere

Getting the SSS and it making a difference are two different things.

If ANYONE gets an SSS, they know 100% they will have to deal with extra screening, and can be prepared for it.

Again, somebody tell me how SSS on the boarding pass helps keep us safer?

Anyone?

Buellar?

LegalTender

Who cares? Flights bound for the U.S. are made safer whether prohibited items get tossed or are confiscated. I'd be more worried that open seating makes it hard(er) for bad guys to be located once on board. "Mr Ramirez, ring your call button" lacks a certain grab-and-go precision.

And it's "Bueller."

NoStressHere

Let me paint a picture. You and I are traveling together. I have a few "prohibited items" in my bag. As we are walking through the airport I notice I have the SSSS on my boarding pass. I give YOU the "prohibited items" items since you will not go through the extra inspection.

Nothing is tossed or confiscated.

How is the flight safer?

LegalTender

Assuming your travelling companion booked on the same reservation would not receive it is self deception. SSSS is hardly foolproof. But transferring bomb making chemicals in an airport? I'd argue the deterrent effect is still there.

Air Cargo Advance Screening at outposts is a bigger can of worms. Re-interviewing a suspect pax after boarding in an open seating 738 is not ideal.

rsteinmetz70112

It would seem if two people were traveling with bad intentions and one got SSSS they could simply exchange carry-ons.. My wife has arthritis and I frequently carry her carry-ons through security.

On the other hand it should be fairly simple to conceal the same information in the bar code and take a passenger out of line for additional screening when they present their ID. Not foolproof but much less obvious.

LegalTender

Conspirators could submerge any one vetting scheme. SSSS doesn't replace collection and analysis of advance traveler and cargo information, it backstops it.