V-Flyer

I've noticed a few comments on this board about VS wasting their money on Securicor or why can't the check in agents do their job? To me it seems a little bit arrogant and most certainly unfair. I suspect most people on this board have UK/US passports which are easier to deal with than most other countries, but they only make up 55% of passports Securicor see.

Do you even realise what Securicor do?

They're trained to spot forgeries, pick up irregularities in visas, make sure you have the correct documentation to enter a country, spotting how and when you paid for your ticket, making sure you're not acting suspiciously to name but a few things.

Just because they seem to take no interest in you, doesn't mean they aren't doing a vital job. If they think you are suspicious they wont stop you, they'll let you check in so you think you're high and dry.

Just by touching the passport they'll know if it's real or not. Unless its a really bad forgery, how would you expect the check in agent to know? Check in agents have enough to remember and deal with without spending an extra five minutes with each passenger examining each passport and checking whether they have the right visa. So many would slip through the net and as an airline we'd get fined.

A few months ago we had a huge spate of forged passports as well as visas being transferred from one passport to the other, all caught by Securicor which ended in a lot of arrests being made.

We see many passports from Nigeria/Iran/Iraq/Israel/Pakistan/India/Afganistan/Mexico/Columbia/Cuba to name but a few all with different marks, layouts, meanings, things to look out for that the check in agents can't be expected to rememmber. By no means are all passports machine readable - most pax have 4 or 5 old passports stapled together all hand written with cut out pictures, scribble in them which are all perfectly legal but to the untrained eye look like they were whipped up at playschool.

Did you know if you have a UK passport you have to have one clear page in it free of any mark/stamp to enter South Africa? It's only happened twice in my memory but they were there to stop it.

They are trained to stop people travelling who shouldn't be travelling. So the next time you find it trivial that they're asking you security questions or only glancing at your passport, don't think they've finished with you, they could have marked you down as someone to investigate further and like i said earlier, they know withing seconds if your passport is forged.

This is by no means a rant - i don't get angry about anything. I just laughed out loud at the arrogance of some people on here. Securicor do a vital job. Maybe it's jealousy that they don't spend enough time with you, and you like the attention. Get a fake passport and you'll see them seeming to take a little more interest.

Just be grateful that they're an extra, more in depth line of defence for making your flight safer.

I for one am gratefull that they stand there and check passengers as they enter the queuing system, rather than take up more time of the check in agents. Plus, all them stickers on the back of my passport make me look well travelled

I am glad that you posted this post...it really brought into light the importance of what Virgin is doing with security matters. Thanks for the explaination.

Best,
OWEN.

[quote This is by no means a rant - i don't get angry about anything. I just laughed out loud at the arrogance of some people on here. quote]

Never...

I usually get some comment about my stickers, but I recently got a new passport and now they're all gone!!!![:(]

Cheers,
VS045

When do these gents check? - I can't remember ever seeing a Securicorps member of staff.

Originally posted by JohnD
When do these gents check? - I can't remember ever seeing a Securicorps member of staff.

They're the guys that ask for your passports & tickets before you enter the "real" check-in line. They check you're travelling, flick through your passport, ask basic questions (lighters/sharps, etc) and then put a sticker (that changes every day) on the back of your passport.

You then go forward to the check-in counter.

JohnD, they are usually in the queue snake or start of the UC / PE check-in lines.

Thanks for the explanation VS_Lover. I always assumed they did a bit more then check your in the right queue, have your passport and ask the standard security questions. Its nice to know, i've never throught about all the types of passports these guys need to be aware of. All to often you just think only Brits and the destination countries citizens are flying.

Thanks
Foz xxx

Originally posted by preiffer

Originally posted by JohnD
When do these gents check? - I can't remember ever seeing a Securicorps member of staff.

They're the guys that ask for your passports & tickets before you enter the "real" check-in line. They check you're travelling, flick through your passport, ask basic questions (lighters/sharps, etc) and then put a sticker (that changes every day) on the back of your passport.

You then go forward to the check-in counter.

Ah - Ha - I don't see them at the Drive through check ins - I hope their experince is still avaialble as UC pax are just as likley to have forged docs[:o)]

Originally posted by JohnD

Ah - Ha - I don't see them at the Drive through check ins - I hope their experince is still avaialble as UC pax are just as likley to have forged docs[:o)]

Actually, that's a good point. When they take your passport inside to the office, I don't remember seeing any non-VS staff there. Do securicor work at the DTCI counter also?

Yes, there is a securicor member of staff checking your passport inthe DTCI, although a 'Lady in Red' generally asks you the security questions.

Paul

Hmm, I'll have to check next month - as I said, I've never seen any non-VS uniforms inside (although, in fairness, I've never really tried to find one!)

On one of my recent trip reports I comment on the Securicor person at Drive through getting confused about Visas - so yes

I knew what they did, and it is a key job as there is a lot of fraud that goes on with passports and visas. WOuld be nice if that strictly enforced the Flyign Club benefits for utilisation of W and J check-in all the time - I was most miffed seeing someone let through with a 5 year old grey (equiv to Red) Freeway card, and the other that wafted a Centurion card.

Thanks,
Richard

I remember seeing a securicor person asking questions in Heathrow, and a VS person asking in Newark. Nevertheless though I always kind of though the questions were stupid. But I never really noticed that they were examining the passports that well.

Originally posted by VS-EWR
I remember seeing a securicor person asking questions in Heathrow, and a VS person asking in Newark. Nevertheless though I always kind of though the questions were stupid. But I never really noticed that they were examining the passports that well.

The questions are a bit redundant, bit like the Visa Waiver forms "Are you a terrorist?" question. I don't know the legal side of it, but I guess that if you lie on them the fact you lied the the security staff will not go down well with any investigation / charges if any were to be brought against you.

Foz xxx

Some places (I know Moscow used to at least) even ask if you are carrying any radioactive material - "Now what did I do with that nuclear warhead?:D

Cheers,
VS045

I understand that they are doing a necessary job, thanks VSL for explaining.

What would be good is if it could be sped up a bit...

Maybe if they had some sort of wi-fi terminal linked into the VS computer, so they could swipe your FC card, and/or your passport, or an ATB paper ticket, and check that you do have a reservation on a departing flight that day - then those of us on e-tickets don't have to remember to carry the bit of paper with us.

The whole point of e-tickets is that it's supposed to be less paper for everyone .

Otherwise, I think they do a good job. The last couple of Securicor people who have been working at VS check-ins/gates that I've come into contact with have been both polite and professional.

It's just that I've found that some of them seem either scruffy, or have poor English, or a stand-offish attitude (I know security people need to preserve some level of aloofness!) which doesn't give a good impression of Securicor or VS.

I've noticed that United (my other main US carrier) do things slightly differently at Heathrow - their check-in agents do the primary document check, and there are security staff "roaming" around the check-in area, doing random document checks and acting as referees for the check-in agents that have queries.

Then again, UA do seem to multi-task their ground customer service staff, i.e. they can do ticket desk, check-in, and gate agent work. So I guess they are cross-trained on a string of different duties. I don't know if VS does the same.

There are then document checks and reinforcement of the security questions, especially with respect to carry-on bags and any items the pax has bought airside, carried out at the gate room door (along with any secondary searches).

Cheers!
Mike

Originally posted by VS045
Some places (I know Moscow used to at least) even ask if you are carrying any radioactive material - "Now what did I do with that nuclear warhead?:D

Cheers,
VS045

Heh, yeah, look at this it's pretty interesting, all the things you can't take on board. I guess I'll have to pack those num chucks. [xx(]

Heh, yeah, look at this it's pretty interesting, all the things you can't take on board. I guess I'll have to pack those num chucks.

No paint thinner for me then on my next flight!;)

Cheers,
VS045

They do a decent job, without you really noticing. After all, they managed to find the spoon that my missus somehow managed to pack!!:D

Last time I did drive in, the Securicor guy came to the car window and asked his questions.

As for the in-terminal checks, I wish someone would explain to them that UK visitors to HK can enter for 180 days without any visa. Comes up everytime for someone close to me.

No equivalent at HK checking in the other direction though.. guess the handling agent doesnt care who gets on the plane.

One question I have - was it the Securicor people who manned the passport check machine in the queue? Not seen it on recent trips but remember one time when going through that the operator scanned my passport through and within a second all my information plus picture came up from some central server. It brought up all the details plus picture for all the UK, American and Japanese passports.... impressive.

Was this Securicor or Home Office? I've not seen it since so wonder why it wasn't a permanent thing.

Regards,

David.

I have checked in with an email before on a Nokia comunicator both the securicor guy and checkin agent said thats a first but were happy to check me in regardless.

So Mike S it IS possible to do a paperless checkin if you have a PDA etc..

The only reason I did it was I forgot to print out the e-ticket before departing to the airport!