Airside Pass - Credit Checks?

[V1_]

I have secured employment with an airline, and obviously will need an airside pass. However, I have read that apparently they now perform credit checks on you before issuing said pass - is this true? How much depth do they go into with these checks?

My credit history isn't brilliant as you can imagine after sitting in shed loads of debt during and after training, but if all they look for is CCJs, Bankruptcy, CIFAS then that's fine. Just find it odd that they would do this check, especially if they've already got my CRC in hand.

[B737900er]

I've never heard of an ID unit looking at credit checks, only CRC and where you have been in the last 5 years.

[V1_]

Thanks for the reply. Neither had I until recently, but apparently some referencing/background checking companies do perform this according to their websites. Does anyone happen to have experience of this?

[flyboyike]

I've seen it on applications where they said your credit MAY be checked, not that it necessarily WILL be checked. In the US credit checks are not free, not all entities are willing to pay to do them unless they have to.

[aterpster]

Originally Posted by flyboyike

I've seen it on applications where they said your credit MAY be checked, not that it necessarily WILL be checked. In the US credit checks are not free, not all entities are willing to pay to do them unless they have to.

I can't speak for other countries, but most U.S. employers will run credit checks with all three credit reporting agencies during the hiring process of career employees who will have significant job responsibilities. That would include pilots.

[flyboyike]

Originally Posted by aterpster

I can't speak for other countries, but most U.S. employers will run credit checks with all three credit reporting agencies during the hiring process of career employees who will have significant job responsibilities. That would include pilots.

That's been my experience also, although they must do a "soft pull" since I've never seen the inquiry actually show up on my report. Either that or they don't do one at all, particularly since not all HR departments have people qualified to properly interpret credit reports.

[V1_]

Thanks for the replies.

It's actually a UK airline that I'll be working for and they outsource their background checks to a third party. I would assume - as flyboyike says - that it would be a soft search just to confirm your identity etc. but I've held an airside pass before for a different airline and don't recall them doing this.

[B737900er]

But the question is why? How does a credit report determine if they are safe to enter a restricted part of an airfield? Sounds very big brother to me, especially seeing as most of the comments are from the US.

I've never heard of it being done here in the EU Federation.

[Intruder]

One answer is that someone with a bad credit history may be a higher risk to commit theft or be bribed.

[Auxtank]

I think it has more to do with confirming you have a credit/ financial history as supposed to being a bad boy with the credit cards.