A couple of weeks ago I was offered a free year membership in the Clear airport security program for registered travelers. Though my home airports of Ft Lauderdale and West Palm Beach don't yet offer Clear access, I fly enough in airports that do like Denver and Regan that I thought for free, what do I have to lose. I filled out the forms on line and last time I was in Regan airport I handed it in along with fingerprints, Iris scans, passport, etc. This past week my Clear card came in the mail and I have been looking forward to using it.
I thought that with my background check and all, they knew that I was a low risk for terrorist or other type of activity and therefore would not be subject to the same scrutiny and testing that we all endure when we have to fly. Turns out that I don't think that is exactly the case. However what it does do is allow you to go right to the front of the line in security, much to the dismay of others waiting on those lines.
The experience was great. I went to a special entrance for Clear members where I was met by a very helpful young lady. She escorted me to a Clear machine where we inserted my card and did a fingerprint scan. After that was done she escorted me to another young lady who walked me past all of the people waiting on line (and a long line it was). At the head of the line, the Clear lady gave my boarding pass and ID to the TSA person. The TSA person checked my id and pass, same as always and they passed me through. Than my Clear escort brought me to a special metal detector line which had no one on it, just waiting for me. Again skipping another line. I put my computer and other metal objects in the same old grey bin, took off my shoes and went through the metal detector. I thanked the Clear escort came out the other side, scooped up my stuff and proceeded to my gate. The entire process took less than 3 minutes I bet! That was great! The looks on the faces of the people I bypassed on line also gave me a perverse pleasure as well, I will admit.
After finishing this though I sat down and thought about it. What security did bypass? They still checked my ID and boarding pass. I still went through the metal detector and took off my shoes. In fact if anything security was added to my check in, as they now did a fingerprint match. So fact is, with all of the background checks and everything, having the Clear program did not relieve me of any security obligations and tests. In fact it added to them. What it did give me was a "first class" personal escort to the front of the line and than a first class que for the metal detectors. Because I was willing to pay some money and have a background search, I got the first class treatment.
To me this is not a scalable solution. As more Clear passengers come on board, having a dedicated person walking me through the security line is just not going to work. Also, lets be clear (no pun intended), this is not about going through less security. Why the background check and all? This is about paying money and skipping the line, but still going through the same security procedures that everyone else goes through. Just faster. Hey, don't get me wrong. I loved it! But I was wrong to think this was about bypassing security, this is a "first class" traveler lane. As long as you are "clear" with that, it is good by me!
