PreCheck is the TSA’s fast-track security program for passengers deemed to be low-risk, allowing them the privilege of remaining full clothed when passing through security, and even deigning to let them keep their precious liquids stored away in their carry-on bags. CLEAR, meanwhile, employs fingerprint and iris scanners to verify the identities of passengers, and has an extant partnership with the TSA’s PreCheck program at its current locations in San Francisco, San Jose, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston Bush, Houston Hobby, San Antonio, Orlando, and Westchester County Airport in New York.
It’s unclear how the TSA’s increasing openness to private partnerships will affect CLEAR, though it seems to work in the company’s favour, and perhaps even passengers’. While it opens the door a little wider to various security companies, theoretically allowing greater competition in this niche market, CLEAR already has the advantage of its established position as a TSA partner as it seeks further contracts. In any case, with the federal department seeking to cut wait times and prices, any partner security firms will need to demonstrate a willingness to cater to those dynamics.
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October 1, 2014 – by Alex Perala
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