Travelers with a rare ‘SSSS’ on their plane tickets should prepare for a potentially bumpy situation before boarding their flight, experts have warned.
The terrifying ‘SSSS’, formally known as secondary security screen selectioncan cause complications before going to a flight gate.
“SSSS are indeed four dreaded letters that no traveler should want to see,” senior aviation writer Zach Griff said this month. Fox News Digital.
Griff explained ‘SSSS’ is ‘a measure implemented by security authorities in the US to screen certain passengers with additional checks.’
“Those selected for this enhanced security are chosen in the days before a flight when airlines share the manifest with US security authorities,” Griff added.
Senior aviation writer Zach Griff explained why pilots don’t want to see ‘SSSS’ on their boarding passes this month with Fox News Digital
The ‘SSSS’ printed on a traveler’s boarding pass means that fliers are required to go through extra screening by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Some of these extra security measures include pat-downs, extra baggage inspection and possible explosive residue swabs.
Fliers could find ‘SSSS’ on the boarding passes for no reason, and the Department of Homeland Security website explained that they ‘cannot be disclosed’ for security purposes.
Certain things such as random selection, booking one-way tickets, purchasing boarding passes with cash, or traveling to a red flag destination can be red flags, according to The Points Guy.
Griff explained that ‘SSSS’ on tickets also caused most flyers to ‘not be able to sign up online’ and would also ‘receive a printed ticket from an agent.’
Several travelers have gone through this experience, including Jordyn Verzera and JT Mocarsk.
The ‘SSSS’ printed on a boarding pass means that the pilot must go through an extra screening by the Transportation Security Administration
Verzera, which is known as the ‘face behind’ The Mobile Homie‘ travel blog, recalls a rocky airport incident after seeing ‘SSSS’ on her boarding pass.
The travel expert explained her recent experience with the additional screening process with Fox News Digital this month.
Versera revealed she was unable to find her boarding pass on an airline app and had to speak to a gate agent.
“They had to give me a printed boarding pass,” Verzera told Fox News Digital.
“He (Mocarski) could still use his digital one, and then I had to carry this pass around.”
The blogger added that the ‘SSSS’ on her ticket is ‘marked and circled’ and must show her boarding pass ‘every step of the way’.
“Instead of just going through one form of security … you had to get to the gate early, and they did an extra-deep screening when you left,” Verzera said.
“But where the big deal was, when we arrived, we actually had to go through customs … and that’s when the really deep search started.”
(Stock image only) Travel blogger Jordyn Verzera was not allowed to check-in for her flight on an airline app because ‘SSSS’ was on her ticket
Verzera was forced to remove everything from her luggage, including toiletries.
Airport officials also requested that she turn on her laptop and place all of her unpacked items on a conveyor belt to be swept.
She arrived at the airport early to receive her boarding pass after spotting another ‘SSSS’ but was forced to wait in line for three hours for the ticket.
After Verzera got her ticket, she waited another hour to go through security checks at customs.
Mocarski got lucky after finding an ‘SSSS’ on his boarding pass in Rome, Italy, and revealed his experience was faster than Verzera’s.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Mocarski claimed that the ‘SSSS’ matter depends on the country or where the traveler is going and what the search involves.
Griff agreed with the travel enthusiast and that some airports may need “more vetting” and a “personal interview.”
Mocarski finally understood why TSA was implementing ‘SSSS’ on random boarding passes and that it would help keep calm and respect agents.
He and Verzera also suggested that pilots purchase traveler’s insurance when selecting their flights.
Verzera arrived at an airport early after discovering ‘SSSS’ on another ticket and waited three hours to receive her boarding pass
A TSA spokesperson explained the ‘SSSS’ on boarding passes is meant to aid the ‘transportation security mission’ in an email to Fox Digital News.
“Security measures begin long before passengers arrive at the airport,” the TSA spokesperson wrote.
They continued the explanation by writing that the additional security measures are in place ‘from the time passengers arrive at the airport until they arrive at their destination’.
The spokesperson also confirmed that passengers are being ‘randomly selected for enhanced screening’.
The dreaded ‘SSSS’ on boarding cards is inevitable, meaning pilots who spot the unfortunate letter will have no choice but to undergo the extra security measures.
