No more Clear Lanes at airport security
The parent company of Clear Lanes, the service that helps speed up some travelers' trips through security at airports nationwide, has shut down. Why? John Dimdsale reports.
An enrollment kiosk for Clear Card, a frequent traveler security pre-screening service, is seen at Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National Airport. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)
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Kai Ryssdal: There was another aviation delay today. The company that ran the Clear pass program went out of business overnight. Clear's 250,000-plus frequent fliers paid for a faster trip through security at airports from Orlando to San Francisco. Parent company Verified Identity Pass blamed its demise on not being able to renegotiate its debt. But Marketplace's John Dimsdale reports there were some other problems, too.
JOHN DIMSDALE: Kevin O'Connor is a frequent flyer who was a satisfied customer of Clear.
KEVIN O'CONNOR: You show up, give 'em a fingerprint, you show 'em your clear pass, and then you go to the line. You still had to do the shoes off and that sort of thing, but it was virtually no waiting at all. It was just great.
But that wasn't enough for some Clear customers who felt they had been promised an even smoother experience, says Benet Wilson who reports on the airline business for Aviation Week.
BENET WILSON: They were supposed to have these scanners that would have allowed you to keep shoes on, coat on and laptop in the bag. But the Transportation Security Administration wasn't happy with the clear rates, no pun intended, on those scanners. And I think people felt at that point, well, this is not what I signed up for.
Also, Clear was unable to move into some big airports, like Chicago's O'Hare and Miami International. One reason: many major airlines, with their own bypass lines for premiere customers, lobbied against Clear. Paul Ruden at the American Society of Travel Agents says most travelers didn't think the service was worth $200 a year.
PAUL RUDEN: It was a nice, nifty idea. But it faced too many obstacles, was too slow evolving to reach the critical mass that you have to have.
Clear's founder, is entrepreneur Steven Brill. He left the company earlier this year. But says he's surprised Clear couldn't settle with its creditors. There are still two small companies that offer speedier screenings, but they're only at a handful of airports like Reno and Jacksonville.
In Washington, I'm John Dimsdale for Marketplace.
Comments
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From FL, 07/23/2009
Fly Clear Class Action at http://www.flyclearclassaction.com
The Brand Law Firm Located in Orlando, Florida will be filing a lawsuit against Fly Clear and Verified Identity Pass, Inc. on behalf of consumers that have purchased ?Clear Card? services from Fly Clear. Clear Card is a service sold to travelers that expedites the security screening process at airports, and costs approximately $199 per year. Clear Card was in use at airports such as Albany, Denver, San Francisco, and Orlando International Airport. According to its website, Fly Clear has ceased its operations as of June 22, 2009, and its Clear Lanes are no longer available. According to the Clear Card website, Fly Clear will not issue refunds to consumers.
If you have purchased a subscription to Fly Clear?s Clear Card services, please contact the attorneys at 877-407-Brand or fill out the contact form on http://www.flyclearclassaction.com
07/20/2009
Good riddance. I also don't see why TSA has express lines for frequent flyers anyway in the first place--an airline should not be able to bribe a government agency to give its best customers preferential treatment. As a nonfrequent flyer, it is infuriating to see people cut in front of me just because they fly more. When we are dealing with matters of government, we should all have equal rights under the law. The fact that a business is essentially able to provide a kickback to the government in exchange for preferential treatment is quite despicable, in my opinion.
From Oakland, CA, 07/08/2009
I used Clear all the time flying out of the Bay Area and other airports that carried the service. It sure helped cut the wait time through security and I didn't have to show up at the airport 2 hours ahead of schedule. The person below who's a UA frequent flyer seems to have some serious issues. I'm glad I didn't try to cut in front of you....but, regardless of your beliefs, if TSA had put me in front of you, I would have stayed in front of you and you would have had to wait for me.
I'm disappointed that Clear didn't succeed; it was a great service I would gladly pay for again.
From Orlando, FL, 06/26/2009
I can say that I will greatly miss CLEAR in Orlando and the other airports that had this. As one already echoed, planning for how long you had to wait in security lines was a constant and not a variable. As for the joker that mentioned he was a UA 1K member...you "pay a price" just as we all did, so you are no more deserving of preferential treatment in security lines. You don't earn anything, you pay just like we did..just in a different currency...so your argument holds no water.
From Las Vegas, NV, 06/25/2009
I am personally HAPPY that CLEAR met its demise. As a frequent traveler (every week) I found that the airports that had CLEAR in service tried to 'bully' their way in front of everyone else. As a frequent flyer (1K) of UA I have earned the 'privilege' to have an express security lane (of which the airlines pay TSA extra for) I never felt that just because some private company charged someone extra money they had any right to just 'jump in front' of everyone else that was in line. A very valid point is that we ALL pay for TSA screening when we purchase a ticket, if a airport has a ‘priority lane’ the airlines then must pay extra to TSA for the priority lanes. These lanes are reserved for those travelers who are either flights crews or passengers that have flown thousands of miles on a yearly basis with them.. How did CLEAR operate; they paid the airports NOT the TSA so why they felt they could force the TSA and all the people standing in line to ‘bend over’ for them was beyond me. As a final note when I did fly out of airports with CLEAR I can guarantee you that I never let a CLEAR passenger in front of me if I was already at the TSA screening tables!
From Orlando, FL, 06/24/2009
I travel weekly for work, Clear was a Godsend in Orlando. While the overall backup in Orlando is not as bad as it once was, what Clear provided was ASSURANCE that your chekpoint time would be under 5 minutes. Prior to Clear, it was not uncommon to have a 45 minute backup on one day, and on the same day the following week have no line at all. It was incredibly frustrating to have to arrive at the airport early enough to prepare for the worst, even if you didnt get stuck in line, you wasted an hour sitting around. With Clear, I could get dropped off at the airport door 45 mins before flight time, clear security and be at the gate within 10 minutes _ EVERY TIME. Thats an extra hour per week in my pocket. I have HAPPILY paid the fee for the last 3 years. People such as the spokesperson for the ATA or the Airlines who say their premier lines are better than a service like Clear are blatantly misleading people. I am a premier member and I can assure you that I have waited through MANY long lines in the premier checkpoint lanes. That was NEVER the case with Clear. If anyone questions this, take a look at SFO at about 6AM, you'll wait at least 30 mins - premier or not. The other aspect of clear that you will not finid with standard checkpoints - Professional and couteous staff. The clear staff were always polite, helpful and cheerful. The same level of service you would expect at an upscale hotel. I challenge any airport int he nation to compare their TSA staff to that standard. For the person asking about the remaining two registered traveler programs, they are FLO (flocard dot com) and the other is fly-vip dot com. Though at this point their future is even more uncertain cince Clear leased and staffed 18 of the 21 airports. All the vendors accepted each others credentials per a TSA mandate when the program was initiated. If you happen to be in one of the airports serviced by these people (Jacksonville or Lousiville) you can still use your clear card. Since Clear was the biggest player, I am not holding much hope that the other relatively small players will be able to afford the airport leasing and staffing to make a viable service.
From Atlanta, GA, 06/24/2009
I signed up for Clear Lanes as soon ass it was available. I fly every week and dreamed of no lines, leave my shoes on and leaving my laptop in my bag. Then there was the expansion promises. Only one of the promises came to be, "no lines". Airport expansion was a bust, unless you are flying out of some unheard of regional airport. I feel that I was duped and no feel defrauded.
I find it funny that I received an email as recently as, 6/18/2009 with and exclusive offer to renew or sign up. Wow, would I have been mad if I feel for that one.
I am looking forward to the upcoming "class action suit".
From San Francisco, 06/23/2009
I am disappointed that you didn't touch upon two important issues - as a customer of CLEAR, I'm very concerned about the safety of my private data. There have been no statements made about the data that CLEAR collected on its customers - who will ensure that this is disposed of correctly? Also, I'm out $200 - is there a class action lawsuit in the works? Seeing as CLEAR apparently folded due to financing problems, I'm guessing there isn't a lot to regain, but it's worth a try. Finally, I find it highly suspicious that Mr. Brill stepped down so recently - and I doubt he "knew nothing about" the financing troubles and the risk of ceasing operations.
From Jacksonville, FL, 06/23/2009
I had only been a Clear customer since last fall and immediately felt that my money was well worth the service. I travel a little for work, but I loved Clear's impact on my personal travel. For example, if I had a long weekend getaway planned for a Thursday through Sunday, I would typically book an early flight out of Jacksonville International Airport in order to maximize my time at my destination. So instead of arriving at 4:30 AM for a 6:30 AM flight, I could arrive safely at 5:30 or even 5:35 and still make it through security in plenty of time.
On a side note, John Dimsdale noted that there are two small companies remaining that offer similar service. Can someone pass those names along to me? Sleep is valuable! :)
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