June 13, 2006
Stuck in Cleveland due to poor security
A while back I wrote about the SSSS security flag. It showed up again in Peter King's Aggravating/Enjoyable Travel Note of the Week:
My brother Bob had one of the all-timers last week in Cleveland. We were flying home after our baseball trip, Bob to Hartford and the other three revelers to Newark. We got through security, parted and were on our way. After I landed at Newark, Bob called and said, "I'm still in Cleveland! At the Ramada Inn South! They wouldn't let me on the plane!'' Seems Bob had a special code (SSSS) on his boarding pass, which meant he should have special random screening at the security checkpoint. When he got to the boarding door, he was told he had slipped through the cracks and somehow was not checked randomly. He had to go back through security to get checked again, this time with his bags being searched.Posted by James Trotta at June 13, 2006 3:16 PM"We'll check the tapes and see who let you through,'' Bob was told, implying there would be discipline to whoever blew it.
"Fat lot of good that'll do me!'' Bob said.
And so Bob had to pay for a night at a hotel and fly the next morning.
Makes you feel real secure about our security.
I would send the bill off to the airline and demand payment. They are the ones that flagged you and caused the delay....
Posted by: Bob P at June 13, 2006 11:57 PMJust tell them that they need to pay more attention
Posted by: jana at June 14, 2006 2:10 PMYou are missing the point. The security system worked, as your friend was denied boarding until he was properly searched. Humans make mistakes, but the system in place caught the mistake and denied boarding.
Had your friend gotten to thr airport earlier he would have had enough time to be rescreened and still made the flight.
Hey Guido, reread the story again. He was stopped just before he boarded...meaning that no matter how early he arrived it wouldn't have made a difference, the plane was already boarding when they caught him.
System worked, sucks for Bob, Bob should have been compted a ticket AND room, Bob should be happy to know that the system works overall.