For those who aren’t used to flying, simply getting through the airport and onto your flight can be a stressful experience.

Potential delays in getting to the airport, protracted security queues, and delayed or canceled flights can all conspire to make what should be a simple, often exciting undertaking the stuff of headaches.

And that’s without having to consider what might be printed on your boarding ticket.

Now, given how the world has developed over the past few decades, I think we can all agree that water-tight security at airports can only be a good thing. I for one don’t mind undergoing an extra check every now and then and standing in line for a few minutes more if it means a guarantee that nothing that should not be on a commercial plane ends up there.

Even so, I understand why some people get frustrated when they randomly find themselves pulled out of lines and subjected to special security protocols. If you’ve nothing to hide, it’s simply a time-consuming annoyance that one would rather do without.

Which is probably why the next time you get your boarding pass when traveling from or to the US, it might be an idea to carefully inspect your ticket.

As per reports, some boarding passes will have an “SSSS” code imprinted on them, which could mean that airport security are going to take a greater interest in you than usual.

Bear in mind that this doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong, only that you’ve been “randomly selected” to be exposed to a higher level of security.

Travel influencer Jordyn Verzera published a TikTok video in 2024 after her partner and fellow content creator JT Mocarski realized he had the code on his ticket.

Verzera’s caption read: “On flights to/from the US, you can get “randomly” selected to undergo a much higher level of security.

Watch on TikTok

“For my partner, this meant separating all of his things from mine, pulling absolutely everything out of his bag, swabbing everything, and then making sure that his laptop turned on (so that they could inspect it).”

SSSS apparently stands for “Secondary Security Screening Selection”. Those unlucky enough to have the initialism on their ticket can expect greater scrutiny from the Transportation Security Administration (TSS).

In the comments section of the aforementioned TikTok video, others weighed in on their experiences.

“This happened to me the last time I flew out to see my best friend, the TSA scanned my phone and made a copy of all my texts, app messages, pictures etc,” one person wrote.

“The whole thing was weird and violating, but I guess the TAS can enjoy all the close up shots of weird pimples I can’t regularly see lol.”

“I never understood this algorithm- I got SSSS and I’m a Veteran and 20 year federal employee,” said another.

A third added: “I was flagged all the time because I used to fly solo before I turned 18.”

Have you ever “SSSS” on your boarding pass? Let us know in the comments.