Unless you regularly travel to the United States, you probably don't know what the SSSS code on the boarding pass . SSSS stands for “second security check selection” (Secondary Security Screening Selection in English) and is the way in which the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) flags certain airline passengers for a more thorough check.
If this code appears on your boarding pass, even if you have contracted a service such as TSA PreCheck , which usually allows you to access a much faster and less exhaustive security check, you will have to go through an extra check, so your passage through the airport could take between 15 and 45 minutes.
Unfortunately, many travelers are more than used to being flagged for a second check by the TSA , much more invasive, but for those who usually have a comfortable and quick passage through the airport security control, that the SSSS code appears on the boarding pass is a real shock.
Some travelers go just in time. An unexpected SSSS code can cause you to miss your plane by unexpectedly increasing airport times.
I have traveled to more than 70 countries since USA , but until I returned from a month-long trip to Turkey and Georgia with my partner last fall, I had never come across the SSSS code. Even though it was a direct flight from Istanbul to Dallas and we got through immigration without a hitch, since then the SSSS code has come out three times : On a flight from Dallas to Minneapolis, from Minneapolis to New Orleans, and from New Orleans to Minneapolis.
Each time the first indicator that something unusual was happening was that we could not check-in online or at the self-check-in machines . We only found out what was happening when an airline agent printed the ticket for us at the counter: SSSS. The first time, after we approached the security checkpoint, the TSA agent who scanned our boarding passes asked us to stand back while he radioed his supervisor: " we have a quad [quad]," he said. It is the TSA name for an SSSS code.
The control is exhaustive : they forced us to take off our shoes , the coats and to leave the electronic devices ; They asked us to go through a metal detector and a body scanner , and then they put us through a body search complete. they took us hand and foot samples looking for traces of explosives.
They opened our hand luggage , they took out all the content and scrutinized it to the millimeter; same for checked baggage. The TSA agents were courteous and professional, but the delay was about to make us miss the flight.
"A few years ago, you could travel like a rock star wherever you wanted: you arrived on short notice, with no itinerary, you paid cash, you spent the night in party destinations and you only got a one-way ticket," he says. Frank Harrison , regional director of security for North America and the United Kingdom of World Travel Protection. "The world has changed."
A very common mistake, according to Harrison, is to think that national air authorities, such as the TSA, are the first line of control of the passengers. Actually, it's the airline : "In today's digitized world, when you book an airline ticket, the airline sends your name, gender, and date of birth to the TSA for clearance," he says. "Airlines are interested in making sure travelers have TSA approval before taking off because there are penalties for letting unauthorized passengers board planes."
New Jersey travel agent and blogger Maddie Winters flies between 120,000 and 160,000 kilometers a year. Despite having preferential access services, she has been subject to the SSSS code on more than eight occasions: "Only on flights back to the United States and never on domestic flights" Winters says that she became aware of the pattern after traveling through Africa and the Middle East. However, her last SSSS came after a trip to Costa Rica in September. A possible trigger? Book two weeks in advance.
The queue at the airport control: the inevitable procedure.
"Many travelers unknowingly put themselves in the spotlight because of harmless but suspicious behavior like booking a last-minute ticket or paying cash," says Harrison.
He advises us to think of booking a plane ticket as if we were going to ask for a loan at the bank : "If you show a inconsistent behavior with your profile, such as starting to spend like a millionaire, is a bad sign and an indication of possible illegal activity, such as drug or human trafficking. Maintain consistent behavior the most important".
Travelers can also attract attention by booking one-way tickets (which is common among the more adventurous), flying to or with a stopover in countries considered "high risk" by the US Department of State, or if your name even remotely resembles someone on a US Department of Homeland Security watch list.
When Adam Morvitz, founder of point.me, a website specializing in offers for those who have loyalty points with airlines , flew from Athens to the US last September, he also won this particular lottery: "I think the reservation set off alarm bells because the offer had been unlocked a few hours ago he says. "That and what we did the return from a different airport [Istanbul] to the one on the way."
The first time the travel influencer based in Los Angeles Michelle González came across an SSSS code after a trip to Greece in 2017 with her husband. Although she doesn't know exactly why she drew attention, she wonders if her fate and her stopover in Istanbul had something to do with it ( Turkey is currently considered a high-risk destination by the US State Department.).
After several consecutive tickets in which the SSSS code appeared, González and her husband requested compensation through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the only resource available for travelers frustrated with their air experience. DHS responded within a few weeks and the problem seemed resolved, but last year the SSSS codes reappeared , prompting González to document the situation in a series of viral TikTok videos.
knowing all this, it was inevitable that our trip to Turkey and Georgia would receive the code . After what Turkey Airlines canceled our tickets without notice, we were forced to change the itinerary and make last-minute reservations on several airlines. Fed up with extra checks on our return, so are we we request compensation.
The appeal process was simple but tedious. We fill out compensation application forms and send copies of our passports to [email protected]. We were given a resource locator number and told to wait. That was a month ago, but we still haven't received any more information . When I checked the status of our application online, the DHS link was broken, so I wrote DHS directly. There has been no response.
Not surprising, given the myriad delays caused by the pandemic, but it's still frustrating. Will SSSS codes still appear on our boarding passes? Only time will tell.
This article was published in the January 2022 International Edition of Condé Nast Traveler.