Why you don't want to see this code printed on your boarding pass

"SSSS might appear on passenger documentation for those flying to the United States. SSSS stands for Secondary Security Screening Selection. When it appears on a boarding pass, it means the passenger has been selected for additional screening before boarding the aircraft. This extra screening can include more detailed bag checks, additional identity verification, explosive trace detection swabs, pat-down searches, and extra questioning at the gate."

"SSSS was introduced by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001. According to their website: "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is actively working to raise the baseline for aviation security across the globe by requiring the implementation of enhanced security measures, both seen and unseen, at approximately 280 foreign airports with direct commercial flights to the U.S., in more than 100 countries around the world.""

""This enhanced screening may result in longer wait times, and travellers are encouraged to arrive early for flights," adds the Homeland Security website. While the TSA doesn't publish exact criteria for meeting SSSS, possible reasons may include those with one-way tickets or last-minute bookings, those who have paid cash for their ticket, those who fly through a destination deemed "high risk" by the US government, those whose names are similar to names on government watchlists, and random selection."

SSSS can appear on passenger documentation for flights to the United States and stands for Secondary Security Screening Selection. The code indicates selection for additional screening before boarding the aircraft. Extra screening may include more detailed bag checks, additional identity verification, explosive trace detection swabs, pat-down searches, and extra questioning at the gate. SSSS was introduced by the TSA after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Enhanced screening can lead to longer wait times, and travelers are encouraged to arrive early. Exact criteria are not published, and possible reasons include last-minute or one-way bookings, cash purchases, travel through destinations considered high risk, name similarity to watchlists, or random selection.

Read at CN Traveller