What are the odds?

[Kimberlyfamilyfv]

I just checked in online for southwest. They let me print out all of the boarding passes except for my husband. I know what that means he can not get his boarding pass til we get to the airport.


My question is what are the odds of being refused an online boarding pass two times in a row.

Last time we flew airtran from BMI to MCO. And this time we flew STL to MCO.


He has a very common name. Could his common name be on the watch list?



Kimberly

 

[rparmfamily]

Does he already have an assigned seat? That could be the problem. If his name was on the watch list then he would not be able to fly most likely and he would be give the extra special closed door treatment by the TSA. You can always call SWA and ask them why he can't print it out.

 

[CamColt]

That happened to me last summer when DH & went from Bos to MCO on Song. We called and asked why and they told me I might be flagged for security (doesn't telling someone that defeat the purpose?), but I will not lose my seat.

So being the paranoid person I am, when we checked in at the airport I immediately compared mine and DH's passes....mine had on it SSSS where DH's didn't. When we went to go through the line, they told me to go through a different line. I had to go through the air puffer machine and have my carry on hand searched. It wasn't too bad considering how worried I was about it.

 

[goofyforlife]

From "our" experience with SWA. Any male name traveling on a one way ticket could/will get flagged. When our names are together on the confirmation (all of us) there are no problems.

Last trip, on way down both DH and Dnephew were flagged (because we all had seperate confirmations.) On the way back everyone was together and no problems.

 

[Kimberlyfamilyfv]

we are all on the same confirmation number together and we did not get one way flights. So I am pretty sure it is the name thing. He just has one of those names that are common and on the list. this is my guess.


kimberly

 

[tmt martins]

Also as when you get flagged on SWA you will most likely not get an A boarding pass.

Just show the rest of the parties A's to the CS rep at the gate and they most of the time will let that person board with the rest of you.

 

[NotUrsula]

If he's on a watch list, the odds are pretty much 100%. Once you are on one, it's very difficult to get off of it, though TSA does have a published procedure for applying to get your name differentiated so that does not match on the list.

Next time he flies, he might try making the ressie with his full name spelled out, including middle name and any suffixes. Of course, if his name is something like Richard James Smith, it may not help, but it is always worth a try.

There are lots of "behavioral" factors that can trigger off the random SSSS, and most of them have been mentioned. Sometimes it really is just random.
The thing is, none of them are really predicatable every single time, which is the point, of course.