What is PPBM?
 

I've seen PPBM on my UA tags a number of times. What does it stand for?

goodo

Positive Passenger Bag Matching. It means if you check luggage and don't board the plane, they will pull your luggage off the plane.

And some people don't have PPBM????

That is what I am confused about. I used to think that PPBM was for all international routes, and not for domestic. So what does that say? What if some customer from say, FRA to IAD to MIA has an explosive device timed to go off just as it's loaded onto the IAD-MIA flight, and he or she doesn't board the IAD-MIA flight after arriving at IAD...



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When once you have experienced being a 1K, you will forever fly the friendly skies with your eyes set on 100% mileage bonus and SWUs, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return, every year!

This is exactly what happened in the case of AI 182 in 1985. This was made even more tragic by the fact that AI *did* have 100% PPBM in place, but the security contractor did not administer the program correctly.

Before September 2001 PPBM was not required for US domestic flights, unless certain conditions were met. The airlines said "too expensive" to do it domestically.

Since September 11th, it is now required for all US domestic flights. If you have PPBM on your tag now it means that it is a throwback to when certain ticketing/itin pattens triggered a PPBM for a domestic flight, or that your bag warrants "extra special" handling (due to one way travel, etc).

See this article from June 2001: http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m.../article.jhtml



[This message has been edited by skofarrell (edited 07-10-2002).]

Still, that does not address any safety concern that may stem from a domestic passenger who does not have PPBM on his tag taking advantage of this.

Does anyone know how Europe is? It is PPBM for everyone?

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When once you have experienced being a 1K, you will forever fly the friendly skies with your eyes set on 100% mileage bonus and SWUs, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return, every year!

In fact, I have several times, flown HKG-ORD only to disembark at ORD and not continue to MIA (throw away ORD-MIA) because HKG-MIA was cheaper than HKG-ORD, for example. Say I had baggage that I didn't need in ORD - I could simply walk through customs after taking my bag to the recheck line and that is the end of that.



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When once you have experienced being a 1K, you will forever fly the friendly skies with your eyes set on 100% mileage bonus and SWUs, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return, every year!

I don't understand your concern. Since 9/11, all domestic US flights are now PPBM.

No, if you throw away the ORD-MIA leg and you checked your bag, you'd delay the flight as someone would have to climb in the hold, find your bag and remove it.

I've seen about 1 out of 10 of my flights delayed recently due to having to remove a bag for a pax that missed a connection or did not board...

[This message has been edited by skofarrell (edited 07-11-2002).]

Actually, that is not a correct statement. However, I'm not going into the ins and outs of the PPBM program for security reasons. As much as you may laugh, I have no idea who lurks on this board, and why spell out how to beat the system?

Nope, I didn't think that post 9/11, all bags are PPBM - weren't they complaining of how many delays that would cause?



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When once you have experienced being a 1K, you will forever fly the friendly skies with your eyes set on 100% mileage bonus and SWUs, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return, every year!

I've noticed baggage handlers scanning bags as they are loaded onto the plane with some kind of bar code reader. Does that device alert them to bags which shouldn't be loaded (PX changed plans)? Or is it just an inventory system to verify which bags were loaded?

cnk

No. As a result of 9/11 all domestic bags are EITHER screened OR subject to PPBM. Unfortunately, PPBM only applies to the first leg of an itinerary, so a scenario such as a deliberate misconnect or throwaway will result in a seperation anyway.

Exactly, that is my main concern. As you mentioned, we already had Air India 182 to teach us a lesson. Why hasn't anyone learned?



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When once you have experienced being a 1K, you will forever fly the friendly skies with your eyes set on 100% mileage bonus and SWUs, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return, every year!

PPBM is not required on any flight in the US. What is required is that all bags be screened for explosives. However, that goal was not able to be met, so in the interim the FAA/TSA is allowing PPBM in lieu of screening until all the facilities and persons are in place to screen every bag. Any airline that screens every bag loaded does not have to implement PPBM (which is occurring by some airlines at some airports).