I apologize for the inconvenience, but please take a moment to imagine yourself arriving at the airport. After a long journey, you may feel a little stressed or overwhelmed. Perhaps you’re running late or dealing with young children. Maybe you’re burdened by an overstuffed bag and a roll-aboard that’s on the brink of bursting because you refuse to pay $50 to check a bag. The smell of anxiety sweat begins to emanate from you.
As you enter the airport, you are greeted by the chaotic scene of the TSA line. The experience ahead is unpredictable. You may hand over your ID and quickly place your bag on the scanner’s belt, or you might face a long line with hundreds of people in front of you. Can you put your laptop and purse in the same bin? Is your cardigan considered a shirt or a jacket? These answers come only when someone with authority yells at you.
Travel can be a wonderful experience, but the airport, at its best, is a necessary hurdle before you can enjoy the rewards of visiting loved ones or exploring a new place. At its worst, it’s a “ghastly purgatory,” as my colleague Ian Bogost describes it. Long waits, mediocre food, surprise fees, cramped spaces, last-minute schedule changes, and rude people are the norm. All of this chaos is tightly regulated and monitored, and you have little control over what happens once you step foot in the airport.
But what if there was a way to regain some control? That’s where Clear comes in. You’ve probably encountered their friendly employees while traveling in recent years. They stand in front of sleek white consoles, wearing neat checked shirts. They offer a deal: give them your ID, let them scan your eyes, pay nothing today, and they’ll usher you to the front of the line. Even if you haven’t taken advantage of their services, you’ve likely seen Clear subscribers cut in line ahead of you, violating a basic rule of fairness: those who have waited the longest should go next.
Clear is a unique phenomenon. It shares similarities with TSA PreCheck, the government’s paid-clearance service for expedited airport screening. However, Clear is an independent private company intertwined with the airport economy. Its core business revolves around biometric data, and unlike many other biometrics start-ups, Clear has successfully convinced millions of people to provide their personal information and pay an annual fee. While other start-ups aim to turn your fingerprint or eyeball into an ID or credit card, Clear has come closest to realizing this dream.
Clear exists because air travel in America is unnecessarily stressful, and security checkpoints are one of the worst bottlenecks. The challenges of airports have created opportunities for private-sector services to make the process slightly more bearable. Amidst the surge in travel, airports have become even more saturated with premium services and elite conveniences. But when everything becomes a perk, what remains of the public good?
The presence of Clear in airports is a consequence of the 9/11 attacks. Its predecessor, Verified Identity Pass (VIP), was founded in response to the government’s search for companies that could expedite security procedures for frequent flyers deemed low security risks. VIP’s main product, also called Clear, gained around 200,000 clients before the company filed for bankruptcy in 2009. It was then purchased by former hedge-fund managers who saw potential beyond government contracting.
VIP rebranded as Clear and shifted its focus to biometrics. Clear Plus, the flagship offering, requires iris and fingerprint scans, identity verification, and an annual fee of $189 after the first free month for airport sign-ups. For this price, Clear members are escorted to the front of security lines at 52 North American airports. If a member also has TSA PreCheck, they are prioritized in the PreCheck line, allowing them to keep their shoes on.
For those without Clear Plus, the sales pitches and line-cutting can be frustrating. Clear argues that their services improve efficiency for all travelers. Clear members do not need their IDs checked by TSA, freeing up agents to check others. Additionally, Clear salespeople can assist travelers with questions, which helps alleviate the constant struggle of attracting and retaining airport staff. Airports receive a portion of the subscription fee when someone signs up for Clear, potentially amounting to millions of dollars per year.
Clear currently has 16 million members, although not all of them have Clear Plus. The company offers free programs, including one for reserving security screening times at certain airports and another that provides an express lane for entering stadiums and arenas. Clear Plus has also become a popular perk in elite consumer loyalty programs, with Delta, United, and American Express Platinum offering various benefits to their frequent fliers.
Clear’s ambitions extend beyond air travel. The company aims to expand its verification technologies to other areas of life where identification is needed. During the pandemic, Clear developed a free service to verify vaccination status and test results. In the future, Clear envisions its verification being used to access medical records, insurance cards, and co-pays in the healthcare industry. Clear could potentially become a central authority for personal identity, acting as a middleman between individuals and government, doctors, licensing boards, and more. Instead of reaching for your wallet or phone to verify your identity, Clear aims to streamline the process.
In conclusion, Clear offers a unique solution to the challenges of airport security and has successfully convinced millions of travelers to embrace its services. Its integration with airports and partnerships with airlines and credit card companies have propelled its growth. As Clear expands into other industries and endeavors to become an all-in-one identification platform, its impact on the future of personal verification remains to be seen.
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