What ‘SSSS’ means if it appears on your boarding pass

Boarding passes often feel like a badge of honour, an exciting symbol of the beginning of a grand adventure for business or leisure, all summed up in a small handheld card.

There’s a reason they make perfect photographic fodder for social media, often strategically placed next to a passport or glass of bubbles. 

All the details of where you’re flying from and to, gate and seat details, frequent flyer status and more are on show to incite envy among family and friends. 

But what if your boarding pass features the mysterious ‘SSSS’ code? What does that mean, why is it there, and what should you do if it appears on yours?

What does ‘SSSS’ mean?

The letters themselves stand for Secondary Security Screening Selection and this seemingly random set of letters on the boarding pass means you’ve been selected for a closer security inspection by local airport security personnel.

It doesn’t necessarily mean you've been identified as a threat; but for any number of reasons, have been flagged simply for a closer and more thorough inspection prior to boarding your flight.

Airport security is a simple, routine process for most travellers, unless 'SSSS' appears on your boarding pass.

Designed by America’s Transportation Security Agency (TSA), the code can appear on any boarding pass at any time, although travellers from certain countries are subjected to it by default.

While it is a security directive of the United States, airlines flying from other countries may issue them on boarding passes if the flight will be entering American airspace.

This ‘SSSS’ mark on your boarding pass is simply an advance notice that you’ll undertake this and any other checks the TSA wishes to apply.

Why is ‘SSSS’ on my boarding pass?

Although neither the TSA nor the airlines have revealed the criteria on which passengers are chosen, it’s fair to presume you’ve been picked if you get an error message when trying to print your boarding pass at home or when trying to load it into your mobile.

There’s also no way of knowing in advance whether or not you’ll get the dreaded ‘SSSS’ mark by the time your flight rolls around, and your name may be added to a ‘Selectee List’ of travellers to have undertaken the extra security check.

What does ‘SSSS’ mean for my trip?

As previously stated, there’s no reason to get especially worried that you’ll miss your domestic US flight - unless indeed you do have something to hide.

However, if you notice upon checking in for your flight that your boarding pass is adorned with 'SSSS', we suggest heading directly to the security checkpoint, because the additional screening will add 10 to 20 minutes (or more) to your boarding process.

What will happen during this extra screening?

As well as the typical baggage X-ray and walk-through metal detector (or body scanner), you could be in for a full-body pat down, a manual baggage search, explosive trace detection on hands, feet and clothing, a once-over with a hand held metal detector – or all of the above.

Landing an 'SSSS' means you and your luggage may be screened and/or searched more than once.

Once you’ve been through those extra checks and have been cleared, a TSA officer will apply some distinctive markings to your boarding pass.

This is often a handwritten ‘SSSS-10’ along with three adjacent stars, although the markings change frequently and vary from airport to airport.

Those annotations on your boarding pass indicate that you’ve been screened appropriately to airline staff at the boarding gate.

It’s a good idea to make sure that these annotations have been made once you're finished with the additional checks. If your boarding pass lacks them, you won’t be able to board until you've been re-screened.

Are there ways to avoid ‘SSSS’ in future?

Whilst there is no bulletproof way to avoid being selected, there are several factors which can trigger the SSSS marking on your boarding pass. 

America's TSA can be an intimidating force but ultimately, all they want to ensure is everybody's safety.

Some flyers may unconsciously flag themselves because of inconsistent travel behaviours like booking last-minute flights, paying cash for their tickets, buying international one-way fares or flying from “high-risk” countries.

However, you might also be prone for selection if you’re travelling by yourself.

Minors will never be earmarked with ‘SSSS’ on their boarding passes, however if their name is similar to another traveller who is on the list, they may be subjected to extra screening.

Should I be worried if my boarding pass says ‘SSSS’?

American airport security has long held a reputation for being particularly intimidating and unapologetically strict, and rightly so.

Everybody wants to reach their destination on-time but more importantly than that, safely, which is a primary focus for the TSA.

So unless you genuinely have nefarious intentions, there’s no reason to be concerned if your boarding pass features the dreaded ‘SSSS’ mark. 

Losing a few minutes browsing the airport’s retailers is a small price to pay to ensure airport security is doing its work to the best of its ability.