Latest news with #travelexpert
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
Tips for Air Canada travellers
Have your flight plans been disrupted by the Air Canada labour dispute? Travel expert Moxey Munch has advice for anyone dealing with cancelled flights.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- CTV News
Canadian travel to U.S. continues to decline amid trade tensions
Watch Travel expert Barry Choi says 'Canadians have every single reason to stay home' as more people are choosing to travel domestically.
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Traveler claims letters on your boarding pass means extra TSA checks
By A travel expert has gone viral after revealing the meaning behind the dreaded 'SSSS' printed on some boarding passes – a code that can lead to extra TSA screening and major airport delays. Chloe Jade Meltzer (pictured), 30, who has visited over 156 countries, was flying from Germany to New York when she noticed the four letters on her ticket. It stands for Secondary Security Screening Selection, a designation she says is 'a pain to deal with' and most often applies to flights heading into the United States. 'Basically, it means that you've been flagged for extra security checks before you can board your flight,' she explained. 'This is always related to flying into the United States, and it's usually for international travel.' Meltzer has traveled to more than 156 countries and admitted she receives tickets with quadruple S' quite often. 'The first few times that you get it it can feel a bit daunting or scary. Especially if you are someone who is not a US citizen and you are about to fly into the United States,' she wrote on TikTok. Metlzer revealed that fliers could get them for many reasons, including inconsistent passports, one-way flights, purchasing a ticket with cash, names matching someone on a watchlist, or completely random. The content creator explained everything that usually happens because of a ticket's 'SSSS' label in a video she posted last April Meltzer revealed travelers will be pulled aside to the gate before boarding and be taken to 'a little corner.' However, employees usually bring the unlucky ticketholder off to the side. 'You'll get either a pat down, a detailed search of your luggage, or your hands and your bags will be wiped, and they'll be tested for explosives,' Meltzer explained. She continued by saying employees could potentially ask questions such as where they're flying to and how long they've stayed at a destination. The TikToker claimed the process could make fliers feel 'very targeted' but that all these steps would be going on for other people around them with 'SSSS' on their passes. 'I personally don't like this because it takes longer. You can't do this before boarding, they do it exactly at boarding,' she stated. While Meltzer has expressed disdain toward 'SSSS,' she deals with it, and revealed her one-way flights and passport irregularities might be the reasons why this happens to her often. Multiple TikTok users shared their own memorable experiences as 'SSSS' boarding pass holders. 'I got it when I was 15, didn't even know minors could be selected for it, even the employees at the gate seemed embarrassed and a bit lost,' a commenter wrote. 'I had it for all flights for two years after I studied abroad in Istanbul. First time the gate agent didn't do the boarding pass right and caused me to miss my flight and have to,' another traveler responded. 'The last time I had it happen flying from Rome to JFK every single person who was being screened was a blonde between the ages of 20-40. Hard to believe it was randomized,' a flier claimed. Fliers have the option to apply for a redress number, an identifier issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to individuals who have experienced difficulties during security screenings at airports or other transportation hubs. 'The DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program can provide resolution to travelers with difficulties getting through security and inspection at airport checkpoints, train stations, and when crossing U.S. borders,' the agency shared on its website . This can be applied to domestic and international travelers, and while redress numbers can be used for future bookings, it does not mean the applicant will never see 'SSSS' again.
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Warning as traveler claims four letters on your boarding pass means extra TSA checks
A travel expert has gone viral after revealing the meaning behind the dreaded 'SSSS' printed on some boarding passes — a code that can lead to extra TSA screening and major airport delays. Chloe Jade Meltzer, 30, who has visited over 156 countries, was flying from Germany to New York when she noticed the four letters on her ticket. It stands for Secondary Security Screening Selection, a designation she says is 'a pain to deal with' and most often applies to flights heading into the United States. 'Basically, it means that you've been flagged for extra security checks before you can board your flight,' she explained. 'This is always related to flying into the United States, and it's usually for international travel.' Meltzer has traveled to more than 156 countries and admitted she receives tickets with quadruple S' quite often. 'The first few times that you get it it can feel a bit daunting or scary. Especially if you are someone who is not a US citizen and you are about to fly into the United States,' she wrote on TikTok. Metlzer revealed that fliers could get them for many reasons, including inconsistent passports, one-way flights, purchasing a ticket with cash, names matching someone on a watchlist, or completely random. Meltzer has been to over 156 countries, and recently had 'SSSS' on her boarding pass when flying to New York from Germany The content creator explained everything that usually happens because of a ticket's 'SSSS' label in a video she posted last April. Meltzer revealed travelers will be pulled aside to the gate before boarding and be taken to 'a little corner.' However, employees usually bring the unlucky ticketholder off to the side. 'You'll get either a pat down, a detailed search of your luggage, or your hands and your bags will be wiped, and they'll be tested for explosives,' Meltzer explained. She continued by saying employees could potentially ask questions such as where they're flying to and how long they've stayed at a destination. The TikToker claimed the process could make fliers feel 'very targeted' but that all these steps would be going on for other people around them with 'SSSS' on their passes. 'I personally don't like this because it takes longer. You can't do this before boarding, they do it exactly at boarding,' she stated. While Meltzer has expressed disdain toward 'SSSS,' she deals with it, and revealed her one-way flights and passport irregularities might be the reasons why this happens to her often. Multiple TikTok users shared their own memorable experiences as 'SSSS' boarding pass holders. 'I got it when I was 15, didn't even know minors could be selected for it, even the employees at the gate seemed embarrassed and a bit lost,' a commenter wrote. 'I had it for all flights for two years after I studied abroad in Istanbul. First time the gate agent didn't do the boarding pass right and caused me to miss my flight and have to,' another traveler responded. 'The last time I had it happen flying from Rome to JFK every single person who was being screened was a blonde between the ages of 20-40. Hard to believe it was randomized,' a flier claimed. Fliers have the option to apply for a redress number, an identifier issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to individuals who have experienced difficulties during security screenings at airports or other transportation hubs. 'The DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program can provide resolution to travelers with difficulties getting through security and inspection at airport checkpoints, train stations, and when crossing U.S. borders,' the agency shared on its website. This can be applied to domestic and international travelers, and while redress numbers can be used for future bookings, it does not mean the applicant will never see 'SSSS' again. Meltzer admitted that even though she should do this, she's been a 'bit lazy.' Airline travel has become more complicated for travelers over the past year, partially because of the controversial Real ID requirement for travel. The new ID resulted in DMVs nationwide being flooded with travelers looking to get one before the May deadline.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Yahoo
This is the one thing you should never put in a TSA bin — it's the top item stolen at security, expert warns
If you've ever dropped your phone into a TSA bin and sent it down the conveyor belt — as most air travelers have done — you might want to rethink that casual habit. In a now-viral TikTok, travel expert Tiffany (@ shares a critical piece of advice she says she learned the hard way: never place your phone directly into a TSA bin. Instead, she always keeps hers zipped securely inside her bag. 'The thing I'm absolutely never doing when I'm going through TSA — I am not putting my phone directly into one of the containers,' she says in the video, which has now racked up hundreds of thousands of views. 'It's always going in a zipped pocket in my bag.' Tiffany recalls being corrected by a TSA officer who caught her placing her phone loose in a bin. 'The TSA agent looked at me and was like, 'You don't like your phone?'' she recounts. 'I said, 'Yes?' And he said, 'This is the fastest way to get it stolen.'' According to Tiffany, the agent told her that phones are the number one item stolen at airport security. The issue, she explains, is timing: when lines back up or bins pile up, travelers often aren't paying close attention to their belongings. That moment of distraction is all it takes. Viewers were quick to sound off in the comments — many in disbelief. 'Wait WHAT! I always do this. Never again,' one person wrote. Another added, 'This happened to me. Lost my phone before a 10-hour flight — worst feeling ever.' Others chimed in with their own hacks: some tuck their phones into shoes, while others swear by interior zipper pouches or belt bags they keep on until the last second. Tiffany's closing advice is simple but effective: 'Always make sure your valuables are zipped up [inside] your bag when they go through the scanners.' It's a small change that could save you hundreds of dollars — and a whole lot of airport stress.
