Narrative:

During boarding, a passenger notified me that another dfw to dca flight had cancelled and they were putting all of those passenger on our flight. An agent came down and told passenger to take any empty seat. The agent said they weren't running the boarding passes through the egr (electronic gate receptacle, boarding pass counter) until after our flight left. After all passenger were seated, an agent came down and counted empty seats. They said they were going to bring down a wheelchair passenger and his wife. The agent said they had to get on because they checked bags and their bags had not gone through the ctx (x-ray for screening checked baggage on a random basis). We departed the gate with 2 or 3 empty seats. We then returned to the gate for a recount. The captain said that this was a security procedure. When we returned to the gate the wheelchair passenger and his wife said they were getting off the plane. I went to 1L door and told the agents we had to pull their bags. The agents discussed it with each other and decided not to pull the bags. I told the captain and he said 'close the door. All security procedures have been met.' the bags were not pulled.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SECURITY MEASURES FOR ACFT SAFETY BREACHED WHEN PIC ALLOWS THE GATE AGENTS TO DECIDE NOT TO REMOVE CHKED BAGGAGE FOR PAX WHO LEFT THE ACFT AFTER A GATE RETURN AT DFW, TX.

Narrative: DURING BOARDING, A PAX NOTIFIED ME THAT ANOTHER DFW TO DCA FLT HAD CANCELLED AND THEY WERE PUTTING ALL OF THOSE PAX ON OUR FLT. AN AGENT CAME DOWN AND TOLD PAX TO TAKE ANY EMPTY SEAT. THE AGENT SAID THEY WEREN'T RUNNING THE BOARDING PASSES THROUGH THE EGR (ELECTRONIC GATE RECEPTACLE, BOARDING PASS COUNTER) UNTIL AFTER OUR FLT LEFT. AFTER ALL PAX WERE SEATED, AN AGENT CAME DOWN AND COUNTED EMPTY SEATS. THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO BRING DOWN A WHEELCHAIR PAX AND HIS WIFE. THE AGENT SAID THEY HAD TO GET ON BECAUSE THEY CHKED BAGS AND THEIR BAGS HAD NOT GONE THROUGH THE CTX (X-RAY FOR SCREENING CHKED BAGGAGE ON A RANDOM BASIS). WE DEPARTED THE GATE WITH 2 OR 3 EMPTY SEATS. WE THEN RETURNED TO THE GATE FOR A RECOUNT. THE CAPT SAID THAT THIS WAS A SECURITY PROC. WHEN WE RETURNED TO THE GATE THE WHEELCHAIR PAX AND HIS WIFE SAID THEY WERE GETTING OFF THE PLANE. I WENT TO 1L DOOR AND TOLD THE AGENTS WE HAD TO PULL THEIR BAGS. THE AGENTS DISCUSSED IT WITH EACH OTHER AND DECIDED NOT TO PULL THE BAGS. I TOLD THE CAPT AND HE SAID 'CLOSE THE DOOR. ALL SECURITY PROCS HAVE BEEN MET.' THE BAGS WERE NOT PULLED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.