A new bill, the first of its kind in the U.S., would ban security screening company Clear from operating at California airports as lawmakers take aim at companies that let consumers pay to pass through security ahead of other travelers.
Sen. Josh Newman, a California Democrat and the sponsor of the legislation, said Clear effectively lets wealthier people skip in front of passengers who have been waiting to be screened by Transportation Security Administration agents.
“It’s a basic equity issue when you see people subscribed to a concierge service being escorted in front of people who have waited a long time to get to the front of TSA line,” Newman told CBS MoneyWatch. “Everyone is beaten down by the travel experience, and if Clear escorts a customer in front of you and tells TSA, ‘Sorry, I have someone better,’ it’s really frustrating.”
If passed, the bill would bar Clear, a private security clearance company founded in 2010, from airports in California. Clear charges members $189 per year to verify passengers’ identities at airports and escort them through security, allowing them to bypass TSA checkpoints. The service is in use at roughly 50 airports across the U.S., as well as at dozens of sports stadiums and other venues.
As annoyed as I get with Clear skipping the line, why is it any different with First Class/Sky Priority separate lines that skip to the front? This is just an extra fee to skip even that line. I’m a frequent traveler (both business and pleasure), so I get upgraded every flight. It annoys me when airports don’t have Sky Priority lines (I’m looking at you IND!) or the Sky Priority line doesn’t actually skip anything (Delta’s new LAX terminal design), so I don’t fundamentally have a problem with Clear. I’m just too cheap to pay for it. In DEN, Sky Priority is absolutely necessary because of how unbelievably stupid their security setup is.
Also a frequent traveler and I don’t do any of that stuff. I sit in economy and I do the normal TSA line. Use my points for a free trip.
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