The meaning of the four Ss on the boarding pass

SSSS stands for Secondary Security Screening Selection. Not all boarding passes show the above code.

Card holders with four S’s are selected for additional security checks. In a word, you will be checked by airport security for your luggage and personal belongings more carefully than other guests. So here’s the code that no guest wants to show up on his or her boarding pass.

Tourist Stewart Jackson, from London, UK, recounted his experience after discovering his plane ticket had 4 more Ss. That was when he had a trip from England to New York, USA, Sun reported on 7/5.

“I tried to check-in online the night before. But the website kept giving me an error. At that time, I didn’t think much and planned to go to the airport the next day to check in,” Jackson recalled.

At the check-in counter, when staff went to remind passengers about fully complying with the requirements of Covid-19 disease prevention, Stewart mentioned that the website the day before was faulty. Then he was taken to the desk to check the details. When the officer looked at Stewart’s passport, his heart started pounding. The male tourist feared that his ticket might be in trouble, and might not be allowed to fly.

“The staff saw panic in my eyes. They explained that the reason I couldn’t check-in online was because I was selected for an additional screening,” he said. However, staff reassured Stewart and said this was nothing to worry about. This is a random selection. And he will be screened more thoroughly than other passengers before leaving London.

He was led to a separate area. Here, another passenger is also being checked. Airport staff checked Stewart’s hand luggage as well as the pockets of his pants and shirt, asking him to take off his shoes. After all formalities were completed, he was taken to the plane and was not delayed. Everything happened to Stewart gently, and not at all as scary as what he had read online before.

Aviation experts say that, in addition to the Stewart-like check, guests with four Ss may be asked to provide additional information to prove their identity, as well as submit travel plans. SSSS code-related checks mainly take place with international flights to and from the US.

Mr. Minh (According to Sun)