What’s contained in a boarding pass barcode? | Hacker News Reader

What’s contained in a boarding pass barcode?

shaun.net

98 pointsbootload18 comments

Similarly, if you're posting an image of a mailed envelope and want to block out your address, don't forget to remove the postal bar code, which can be specific enough to identify your mailbox.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POSTNET

I seem to remember hearing about there being an indicator of whether or not you should be given an "enhanced screening" as well. I assume it is set if you are on a watch list, or randomly otherwise.

If you're on "The List" or have otherwise triggered red flags, your boarding pass will have a quadruple S marking on it (SSSS) in plain text.

Seize, Sequester, Search, Sodomize?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_Security_Screening_Se...

So, this information isn't signed or anything? Airports that scan your pass to check your name don't actually look up the name from a database? So..:-\

When boarding an aircraft the information is still used to mark you as boarded in the airline's system.

This information is then checked when the flight closes to make sure that everyone who has checked in has actually boarded.

The scanners at TSA entry points might be a different story. I'm not sure if they're linked into the airline reservation's system, or if they just check the barcode to see if you have a valid flight for that day listed. I'm certainly not going to test this theory though!

Fortunately the country I live in (AU) allows anyone through domestic security check-points, so it's a non issue.

Does anyone else find it odd that the barcode doesn't entirely consist of a primary key referencing a passenger database?

I do somewhat understand the desire to encode additional information for cases when, for example, network connectivity is lost at an airport terminal, but mostly this just seems unnecessary.

Having worked with some enterprise software before, this is not a surprise. What happens if you have multiple booking systems? You end up with 87734 being non-unique. GUIDs? What if the system was produced in the 80s?

Having the scan code contain the same info as the boarding pass itself is just fine. It's what you would do with a paper pass anyway.

Article not readable in FF - crammed into small div on right.

I noticed this when I attempted to make the small fonts a bit larger. If you shrink your fonts a bit it might work. (Looks like the site uses some fragile CSS positioning.)

It rendered fine for me on 7.0.1

I can replicate this under certain conditions - and all to do with changing the text size as Josh suggested.

I'll try to get around to fixing it this weekend.

Thanks for noticing :-)

Same here, FF 6.0.2 on OSX 10.6.8

Teh interwebs are broken since 1993.

Luckily there is View/Page Style/No Style, and the Readability AddOn, both of which bring web sanity back.

Works for me in FF 6.0.2

worked on FF 3.6.17, which version/platform?

I don't know, but that question just put you on a watch list ;D

You'll be pleased to know that I've flown in the US several times since making that post, and not only have I not been selected for "secondary screening", I haven't had the nude-o-scope either ;-)

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