Clear is a service you should not to miss if you fly often. Essentially, you submit to a background check and allow Clear to collect some biometric information about you. Provided you pass the background check, a smartcard is issued to you that enables you to bypass the security check-in line at the airport. You can wave at the first class customers and airline employees as you breeze past to the front of the line once you’ve submitted your smartcard and scanned your thumb print.
When I left for my last trip, the security line experience at SFO lasted exactly 97 seconds (you still get to take your shoes off, extricate your laptop, and empty your pockets, you just get to do it first!) In this post 9/11 world, it was the best service I’ve ever experienced flying bar none.
The negatives? Clear is not available in all airports, they collect a bunch of personal and biometric information, and the service costs $128/year. While it’s not currently a negative, I do wonder what happens as more people use the service. What makes it extraordinary right now is the speed of security line transit, as more people subscribe to the service and load levels increase, it will be interesting to see how the company keeps their promise of no more than 4 minutes to go through security.
The bottom line: if you travel frequently, this is more useful than an annual lounge pass at your favorite airline. As of this writing, Clear is highly recommended.
Note: Other than being a customer, I don’t have any other relationship to Clear.
[…] Wrong! First off, the United web check-in program is brilliant. As mentioned in a prior entry, Fly Clear is also brilliant. The combination of the two programs? Priceless. I was at the gate after having dropped of my […]
Clear is a waste of time and money and you’re opening yourself to another organization that will eventually lose all of your personal information at some point. I’m a road warrior and traverse the gauntlet mess that the TSA puts up multiple times per week. If you are a status traveler with your airline which allows you access to the express lanes, you will more often than not get through security faster than giving up $100 to get the Clear experience. I’ve chatted with several Clear card holders and advised them that I indeed get through security faster than they did. They may have jumped to the front of the line, but I’m generally waiting for them at the train.
Michael, to each their own.
I can tell you at SFO, my most frequent airport, the “status fliers” are still in line when I’m at the gate. There is an increased risk in exposing more information, but it’s hard to see that it’s more risky than having a credit card…I’ll wave to you as you stand in your status line next time through the airport.
I love my Clear Pass. I get through security faster and with rarely a line. The attendants are extra polite and have actually made by airport security time more bearable. I was hesitant at first when I signed up but have saved a great deal of time by using my Clear Pass. I will say, it only pays if you use the airports that have them (which I wish there were more of). I have a share code: SCA20888 that is you use on the Clear Pass official website you will get an extra month (me too!) and you will get your own referral code to offer others.