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Airport security line cutters are target of first-in-the-nation California bill

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11–20 of 51 posts

Re: Airport security line cutters are target of first-in-the-nation California bill

#11
post #6
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't Clear just a more exclusive TSA PreCheck? It only works because the normies haven't saturated it.

It's actually worse because you still have to go through the normal security check, you just get to skip the line. This may be dependent on the airport though.

Is it actually worse if you get to skip the line? As the person you responded to mentioned, TSA PreCheck is now so saturated that the TSA PreCheck line will sometimes be longer than the regular line.

Re: Airport security line cutters are target of first-in-the-nation California bill

#12

Can someone share background on how they got privileges in the first place (as a startup) to escort passengers to the front of the queue? Do they act as designated reps of the airlines?

Here's a great and kind of terrifying story on CLEAR:

https://onezero.medium.com/clear-conquered-u-s-airports-now-...

Re: Airport security line cutters are target of first-in-the-nation California bill

#13
post #3

No idea if this will pass or not but paying a private company to cut lines in airports seemed like a flimsy value prop

As someone who uses Clear, it has a significant benefit in that, for a comparatively low cost, it makes time through the airport more consistent. If I have priority check-in through airline status, or am not checking baggage, then security waiting time is the main variable in the time to get from the terminal entrance to the gate (we'll ignore disaster airports like LAX where time from the freeway to the terminal is…

I also pay for Clear, and basically echo your take. My home airport has a separate like for Clear + Precheck, and basically only frequent travelers have both, so even though the line is sometimes longer it moves much faster. It's worth it for me to eliminate the variance of a first-time traveler who got randomed to precheck being slow.

Re: Airport security line cutters are target of first-in-the-nation California bill

#14
As a frequent traveler (80 flights alone last year), I feel like this bill is rather useless.

First, Clear is not present at all airports. Sometimes it's not even available at all terminals of the same airport (see JFK terminal 7 2 years ago) https://www.clearme.com/where-to-use-clear

Secondly, Clear lines clear (heh) much slower than the TSA-pre lines. EWR is a great example of this.

Lastly, TSA-Pre is going to eat Clear's lunch with their new programs: https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2024/03/06/tsa-and-d...

https://www.afar.com/magazine/tsa-precheck-is-introducing-se...

Re: Airport security line cutters are target of first-in-the-nation California bill

#16
post #3

No idea if this will pass or not but paying a private company to cut lines in airports seemed like a flimsy value prop

As someone who uses Clear, it has a significant benefit in that, for a comparatively low cost, it makes time through the airport more consistent. If I have priority check-in through airline status, or am not checking baggage, then security waiting time is the main variable in the time to get from the terminal entrance to the gate (we'll ignore disaster airports like LAX where time from the freeway to the terminal is…

> In Europe, some airports just directly offer a paid priority security option, which sometimes is actually quite inexpensive. But it seems this may not be allowed by the TSA, and the alternative is the fiction of Clear supposedly offering some identity verification benefit.

The question is why a non governmental entity is inserted into the middle of transportation security, with a profit incentive.

There already existed an entire apparatus for airport transportation security. There already existed an entire apparatus for fingerprint and other biometric verification to expedite the security screening process (precheck and global entry).

So then why did the government give Clear the right to bypass the official process? Why not just have a precheck plus or whatever system? Why not just have everyone do their biometrics when they do them every 5 years for precheck as it is?

Re: Airport security line cutters are target of first-in-the-nation California bill

#17
post #6
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't Clear just a more exclusive TSA PreCheck? It only works because the normies haven't saturated it.

It's actually worse because you still have to go through the normal security check, you just get to skip the line. This may be dependent on the airport though.

To me, the only way to really do it is Clear+Pre. Clear "bypasses" the ID verification step, and then you get inserted into a Pre line, which at most airports, under normal circumstances means: shoes stay on, remove any metal and jacket and just walk through an X-ray. Laptops, iPads, etc., stay in bags and go through X-ray too.

Re: Airport security line cutters are target of first-in-the-nation California bill

#18
post #6
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't Clear just a more exclusive TSA PreCheck? It only works because the normies haven't saturated it.

It's actually worse because you still have to go through the normal security check, you just get to skip the line. This may be dependent on the airport though.

It's the line that adds uncertainty more than precheck vs normal. I can have my electronics and liquids out, and shoes off, in 30 seconds or so. As I'm frequently travelling internationally, I need to be prepared for the combination of different rules, and so can't rely on precheck to let me pack differently.

Clear does often have a precheck/non-precheck distinction, but when I had precheck (and not clear), I had enough trouble with miscommunications between different TSA agents about a line being one or the other that resulted in delays and secondary bag screening, at least at LAX, that it did not seem particularly useful. I did not appreciate being told by one person not to remove anything from my bag, then shouted at by another person for not having removed anything from my bag.

Re: Airport security line cutters are target of first-in-the-nation California bill

#19

A little zero-sum class warfare to distract from the fact that the TSA is the most wasteful and useless government agency in human history.

Unfortunately, the state government cannot alter TSA's authority.

How’s it work with SFO where they have their own contractors for security screening that aren’t federally employed TSA agents?

Re: Airport security line cutters are target of first-in-the-nation California bill

#20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, the state government cannot alter TSA's authority.

How’s it work with SFO where they have their own contractors for security screening that aren’t federally employed TSA agents?

Airports can run their own agency but they still have to follow TSA’s guidelines. If they aren’t there, then TSA would be.
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