Feeling jet lagged before you even leave the ground? By the time you’ve taken off your shoes, removed your laptop, emptied your pockets, and thrown out that bottle of expensive lotion, it can feel like a full day’s aggravation just getting to the gate.
“When you go through the door to go into the airport, you don’t know if that lines is gonna be 20 minutes or 40 minutes or five minutes,” Clear CEO Steve Brill said.
Entrepreneur Steve Brill charges $128 a year for what he calls “the clear card.”
“With a clear card, you know it’s gonna be five minutes or less,” he said.
It’s similar to EZ pass, which has largely eliminated the wait at toll booths.
More than 170,000 people have bought the clear card, which they can now use at 18 airports, including Orlando, Denver, Reagan National and soon Atlanta. Here’s how it works. First a computer scans a person’s identification and fingerprints, then it captures images of a person’s irises and takes a portrait. That information goes to the Department of Homeland Security, and in about two weeks a Clear customer should get an ID card.
Cardholders check in at the airport with an iris or finger scan. Then go straight to the front of the security line with a personal concierge.
“If I get here 30 minutes before a flight, it could take 30 minutes to get through, and then you miss it. So it’s worth having,” airline traveler John Fogarty said.
Cardholders have to go through the same security check.
“We can’t reduce security on those people just because they have a card,” Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Ellen Howe said.
But critics say the government should not be the business of offering convenience just to those who can pay.
“This is airport security, national security, not the check-in desk at the Ritz Carlton,” Aviation Consultant wit The Boyd Group Michael Boyd said.
And, many passengers say the clear cards will mean longer lines for everyone else.
“Frankly if you pay money, you get ahead of me, and I have to wait longer. Why is your time more important than my time,” air traveller JoAnne Schuller said.
Clear’s creator contends the program is not for rich people but road warriors and anyone else who believes time is money.
http://www.ktka.com/news/2008/jun/16/5minute_airport_check_becomes_reality_clear_card/
How do you guys feel about this? I would probably buy the membership, though it’s not suitable for everyone. It’s meant for frequent travelers.
Can you think of a reason not to buy it? Any loopholes, possibly?