Delta Airlines Security Questions

[Millymollymama]

We usually fly BA but DD is seeing friends in the USA, so we booked her onto a Delta flight because it was cheaper and she was happy with this. All her pre flight information had been completed and the ESTA updated. Her seat was chosen and the boarding pass printed at home.

At the bag drop, at T3 Heathrow, after presenting her passport, she was referred to a "security" officer who asked her all the questions that were already entered on the pre flight data. Is this normal with Delta? We have never had this with BA and have never even seen any security people at bag drop in T5. Why would she have been referred to them? Is it random, or are there reasons why some people have to go over all the information again? Any views would be appreciated.

Yep, all perfectly normal and not just confined to Delta either. Nothing to worry about.

All information from the API (Advance passenger information) as well gets forwarded to the US prior to flight departure and sometimes the US authorities randomly choose people to be screened again (its happened to me before now and my experience was the self same as your DDs). IIRC I was chosen along with 3-4 others from the same flight.

Thanks for reassuring me, Attila. She is due to land in about 6 hours and I think it might unnerve her if she is stopped again. There was no explanation regarding why she was redirected from bag drop. Hope all goes smoothly at the other end!

I am just resurrecting this because it did not end up being very normal. After the initial security contact prior to bag drop, she was stopped again in security. This involved a body scan and taking everything out of her hand luggage as they were looking for contact with explosives. She noticed her passport had two red dots put on it. No-one was unpleasant but she was taken into a room where all her items were scrutinised. Everything was in order, of course.

Later, at boarding, she was taken on one side again and all her hand luggage was taken out again! To look for the same contact as before!

I would suggest that this was more than routine but we have no idea what triggered two detailed searches of her hand luggage. DD is a student and was travelling alone. Is that a red flag? Any information would be appreciated and, is this likely to keep happening?

On the way back from NY, in secutiry she was waived around the body scanner (completely avoided it) at JFK. Just her. How bizarre was that?

It happens sometimes, either you've been selected randomly for enhanced screening, or something has pinged the selection criteria for this. This can be your ticket being purchased by someone else (which I guess applied here), a last minute ticket purchase, or a number of other things I can't remember - I did know at one point as I was forever getting pulled due to my frequent business flights arranged at the last minute.

I've also had random assigned to TSA pre check in the US (which lets you keep your shoes on, laptop in bag etc).

Just part of the process, and nothing to worry about

This happened to me on a trip to New York. I was obviously on someone's list because I kept getting pulled out of line, searched, questioned etc. it's never happened before or since.

Try going through Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. I have never felt so uncomfortable at an airport.

It happens.

it happens. It reduces the chances of being blown up in mid air.

Just accept it as part of flying today and be grateful for security. It's nothing personal.

My DH gets searched everytime we go through security at an airport and he is a police officer!
He seriously rolls his eyes every time!

As a single traveller when I was younger I used to get pulled every single time!

Nothing against security at all and she obviously cooperated and had nothing to hide. Not sure searching my DD avoids being blown up mid air because I do wonder if random searches actually pinpoint the right suspects. If you are searched once, at security, why does it need to be done again at the boarding gate? If they found no contact with explosives the first time, how would there be contact with explosives between security and the departure gate? Obviously not random at that point! DD was not particularly upset by it and it was done courteously.

I do wonder if random searches actually pinpoint the right suspects.

Even if the searches are totally random they may get the bad guy by pure chance. And searching several times can decrease the risk of the first officer missing something.

I said 'reduce' not 'avoid'.

I think young solo travellers have always been of more interest to security. I used to get questioned a lot in my early twenties (which is a long, long time ago), I think to ascertain that I wasn't a drug mule rather than to be sure that I wasn't a terrorist.

The last time that I travelled to the US with H we got pulled out and searched at every opportunity, but that was because he is Asian.