Two flight attendants did not see the HNL Agriculture Station to sign the required exit forms the first time through securuity and so the boarding process was stopped so they could return and comply.
Synopsis
Two flight attendants did not see the HNL Agriculture Station to sign the required exit forms the first time through securuity and so the boarding process was stopped so they could return and comply.
Narrative
Going through security in HNL; another Flight Attendant and I were separated from the 3 pilots and 2 other flight attendants on our crew. After clearing the security check point; we looked around for the crew. We realized we did not know the gate; we checked monitors and found our gate. The inbound flight was a few minutes late. We got on; stowed our things and the agent began boarding. About 5 to 10 minutes into the boarding; an agent came to the door and asked for me by name. He said I had not signed the agriculture crew list at security and that I needed to go back to security right then and sign my name. I said I could not leave the aircraft because we were boarding. He said I had to go sign the crew list. I asked if they could bring it to the aircraft. He said no. I said if I got off the aircraft; we could not continue boarding. He said he would talk to boarding agent. He came back right away and said we would need to stop boarding; so I could go sign the agricultural crew list. I talked to the Captain and our Purser. The Captain said to go sign the crew list. I got off aircraft and went back to security to sign the list. The agriculture person asked who the other Flight Attendant was and that she needed to sign the list as well. I asked if he wanted me to tell her and he said yes; and that she needed to come back to security too. I told the agriculture person that when we went through security; there was not an agriculture person there with the crew list to sign. I went back to aircraft and told her; she needed to go back to security. The Captain eventually talked to someone in Operations and the Agricultural Department who said she did not need to go sign the crew form. I had not been to HNL in a while; every station has different security procedures. I would like to have something in print about each station's security; agriculture regulations; and customs regulations; so every flight attendant would have something to reference. When the other flight attendant and I got through security and we were not asked to sign anything; I thought maybe it was a new procedure. Maybe this would be something to discuss in a crew briefing when you are on a layover because we have so many varying procedures at different stations.
Second reporter narrative
Agriculture needs to be very visible at every security checkpoint. We don't sign at every Hawaii airport and it's confusing that procedures are different there. I later asked the Captain how he knew where to go; and he said he didn't; but someone from Agriculture had come over and escorted them to the far corner of the room where a table was set up. But our names were apparently on the list. It would be helpful if an Agriculture employee would stand near the Security screening area to direct crews until everyone is accounted for. (And the other Flight Attendant said she had to ask 3 different TSA people where the Agriculture desk was when she got back to security.)
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.