Clear shuffles through its last upstanding citizen, tells the rest to fall in line

Let's face it: no one digs long security lines at airports. But if you reckoned a healthy amount of folks would be willing to pay $128 per year in order to bypass said lines at only a few airports in the world, you'd be wrong. After launching with high hopes back in 2005, Clear has quietly folded after failing to "negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations." There's no word on what'll happen to existing paying customers, but we get the feeling they'll be directed towards a somewhat unpleasant creek sans a paddle. Or, you know, that poorly staffed lane to the left with 384 (give or take) cantankerous, shoeless travelers.

[Image courtesy of Airliners]

[fashionista @ Jun 23rd 2009 9:58AM]

Clearly destined to fail.

[ratchetnclank @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:02AM]

+1

[gfar @ Jun 23rd 2009 11:17AM]

Punny, but wrong; it could have been a great system...ever hear of Nexus?

[Harkonian @ Jun 23rd 2009 11:28AM]

For those like myself who travel a lot, it was totally worth it. The problem was, they were never around when I needed them. I had three different times in SFO where I was relying on Clear to get me through the line quickly to catch a connection and their booth was closed.

When it worked it worked well, but it just didn't work enough nor were they at enough airports.

[ralph @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:06AM]

My membership just expired. i didn't renew because as much as i travel for business, their service was so sparse- you had to be at the right airpot at the right terminal at the right time to take advantage of it.

Last week they had a strong push to renew my membership via email and phone. Last night @10:29 pm they sent a short 1 paragraph email saying that as of 11pm they are ceasing operations.

ASSHOLES!

I hope nobody got screwed and bought into their "father's day promotion"

Starwood was offering a free trial- they may get some complaints from people who signed up too!

[OneLove @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:11AM]

PWND.

[Duke @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:47AM]

I'm kinda surprised people signed up for their service in the first place. With the program not covering many locations/terminals it seemed like a bad program from the get go. Did they ever give you service that made it feel worth the initial money you spent on it?

[Danny Moore @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:02AM]

This was a CLEAR failure...

[webran61 @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:06AM]

CLEARLY, the CLEAR puns were inevitable.

[JPW @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:13AM]

HOPE . . .

ACHE.

[me @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:25AM]

used a free trial, listed airports but of course that was 1 of the 6 terminals, everytime i asked if there was a clear line, they said they had never heard of clear. There's no reason this shouldn't have taken off like EZ Pass and became the preferred form of airport security but whatever.

[Jagger @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:16AM]

yo watz up

[Chris @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:17AM]

come on it wasnt clearly a failure it was just poorly done...

I mean had they been able to hit atleast the major 3-4 airports and covered all terminals, then that would have been a sure success, but no they tried to have a bunch of airports with only 1 terminal out of god knows how many and it becamse useless.

hell i know a few people that even if they only did MIA and JFK and had all the termiansl covered would subscribed to their service lol

[From My Cube @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:40AM]

and it didnt work on any international fights...thats where the security takes the longest and I would buy one just for that....but they couldnt do it

[GRAMMAR POLICE @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:42AM]

"come on it wasnt clearly a failure it was just poorly done..."

Exactly what in the shit would you call a failure, then?

[Eric Law @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:20AM]

Saw this just last weekend during travel... thought the idea was good..
until I saw the price.

I wonder what percentile of flyers fly often enough to justify the cost...
I'm thinking way less then 1%

[cjstuff @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:22AM]

I wonder if anyone will bother buying up CLEAR's assets for pennies (not even pennies on the dollar) and trying to make a go of things. I seriously looked into CLEAR when I had several months of non-stop business travel, but I found that they weren't set up at any of the terminals--and only two of the airports--that I actually used. I simply couldn't justify the membership price or swallow the invasion of my personal privacy in exchange for...nothing.

[brux2dc @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:25AM]

They automatically renewed my membership on Sunday (got the email notice anyway).

Bastards...

[ralph @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:38AM]

I hope you used american express- you can dispute that 100%

[Nicole @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:03PM]

Time for a call to the credit card company. Any CC should happily reverse that charge; that's not even a borderline case.

[Michael @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:38AM]

I'll buy a eye scanner for pennies on the dollar.

[Anthony Gentavoe @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:41AM]

I paid $79 for my first year of membership, and when ATL finally got it right by providing dedicated screening lines for Clear members, it turned out to be a fantastic value and time saver. If they were unable to secure additional financing due to the economy, they are not unlike many of the technology startups that we praise every day. From what I had read, they had more than 250,000 members, not that bad number. Many companies take time to become profitable and rely on outside financing to keep going, so I don't think it is fair to call this a FAIL just yet.

[Duke @ Jun 23rd 2009 11:05AM]

If the company has failed and closed up, how long do we have to wait to call it a failure?

[Anthony Gentavoe @ Jun 23rd 2009 11:11AM]

Yes, the company has failed, perhaps a victim of the economy and/or credit markets. I don't believe the registered traveler concept has failed. That was the point I was trying to make...albeit quite poorly.

[Benjamin @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:55AM]

Point is, this kind of service takes airlines a long weekend to implement it themselves. British has dedicated lanes at security on British airports for First, Business and frequent travellers. Same for Lufthansa in Germany.
If you really are in a bad hurry, you can almost always just purchase the VIP service of the airport. This is much more expensive than the 128,- or so per year, but hey: need it or not?

[Anthony @ Jun 23rd 2009 6:30PM]

I totally agree w/ this. I flew out of Oakland, Sac & SF. Oakland made their own travel delineations. It changed the game & made it much faster for me to get through security.

Clear was an interesting idea. I took the pamphlet twice. But w/ travel down in general & airports getting their act together I just don't think it was necessary.

[John Sonewald @ Jun 23rd 2009 11:34AM]

My membership expires in early August, so I don't lose much that way. I thought Clear was a good idea, but not that well executed. There were several high traffic airports I want through often with no lanes. The times I was able to use a Clear lane were great. It was well worth it.

[shawk @ Jun 23rd 2009 11:35AM]

If you fly enough to need this, you fly enough to qualify for the dedicated business line. At most airports, anyway.

[nbourbaki @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:54PM]

They just hit me in the last month for a 3 year renewal. I'll see if I can dispute the charge. I travel every week and the program saved me many hours that I would have had to stay in line with people that somehow don't know it's not cool to take a 4" assisted opener on-board.

[Kamal @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:03PM]

Paying someone else to snoop into your background never seemed like a good idea to me to begin with. Good riddance!

[Scarhawk @ Jun 24th 2009 7:26AM]

Weren't these the same people who couldn't even handle sensitive customer data properly?
http://cbs5.com/local/tsa.security.clear.2.788083.html

Agree - good riddance. What a bunch of fools.

[Jeff @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:04PM]

Airlines have got totally obnoxious with extra fees. I had to pay $50 at LAX for an "expedite" fee for flying United. I arrived for a business flight two hours early, and IT WAS NOT ENOUGH. I have to pay a premium for their inefficiency. Now where is the incentive for the airline to fix this, when they make extra money off it.

[CL @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:39PM]

United Airlines are like the Somali pirates these days. They just announced that they will start charging extra $5 if you don't pay your "baggage fee" in advance, so they are charging you TWICE!

These days I only fly Southwest or Virgin America for all domestic flights (Jetblue lost my money when they start charging for pillows) and Asian airlines for foreign flights.

[bob @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:15PM]

There are still two Registered Traveler programs still operating. one is called FLO and the other is called Preferred Traveler. Maybe they can pickup the airports that Clear has abandoned. I am sure they can buy their equipment for pennies on the dollar and just load their software.

[windstorm @ Jun 25th 2009 4:51PM]

The two programs you are speaking of is for getting through customs and immigration, not for getting through the security lines

[bob @ Jun 25th 2009 4:59PM]

No...FLO (which includes rtGo) and Preferred Traveler are under the same Registered Traveler program, just at different airports. Preferred Traveler even has a statement on their website stating that they are not Clear; and will continue to accept Clear cards as part of the Registered Traveler program for Jacksonville and Louisiville.

http://www.flocard.com/

http://www.jax-vip.com/Default.aspx

[Phil H @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:21PM]

HA-HA!

Back in the day, taking a flight cost $X. That was it. Now, it's $5 more for curbside, $179 for express lanes, $3 for a pillow, $15 for an aisle seat, $2 for the bathroom, etc, etc.

Airlines and airports should try to fully realize the potential for additional profits inherent in air travel. How about an auction system at boarding. Who wants to board first - do I hear $100? $120? Sold, to the lady in blue for $155. Step aboard. OK, next to board - do I hear $80? $90... etc.

At the security checkpoint, these sort of additional revenue streams should be particularly lucrative. All those people with a gate closing in 3 minutes - I bet they'd pay a pretty penny on the spot for priority screening. An auction system would get unruly, so in this case I would recommend three separate lines - a $200 line, with first priority; a $50 line with second priority (you get a screener if the $200 line is clear; and the normal line (named Priority Express by the marketing people), who get to screening if no-one is in line at either the $200 or $50 line.

If the $200 or $50 lines get gummed up with too many passengers, just raise the prices a bit more.

You could also monetize the elements of the screening process itself - $2 for a bin to place your keys and bets in, $5 for a shoe-removal waiver (or $2 for a bench to sit on to put your shoes back on), $10 to look the other way when they see that water bottle in your backpack.

It's a win-win. Airports, airlines and the TSA get revenue, and passengers (the important ones, anyway) get to the gate faster.

Captive consumers + limited resources + free-market magic = shareholder bonanza

[Kip HT @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:42PM]

I'm liking your plan.

Come one airlines! Screw the customer even more! What's that? You want a blanket? FREEZE TO DEATH YOU STINGE!!

[OneLove @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:46PM]

$X? Is that x-men currency?

[chispito @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:32PM]

Is there a gadget somewhere in this story that I'm just missing?

[West Town @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:44PM]

this service was a quick and easy way to get throught the airport line..

[O @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:45PM]

No but all that blue lucite in the photo looks sorta gadgety...

[William Martin @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:37PM]

Is this MCO?

[Gooch @ Jun 23rd 2009 1:00PM]

im sad to see them go i loved my clear pass. being that i live in atlanta in one of the busiest airports in the world many of times i have bypassed hour long lines to catch my plane in the nick of time that there is no way in the world i would have caught otherwise. i think the biggest downfall was not being in all airports but i have not really ran into a problem at the smaller airports so it was no biggie. just this weekend i was trying to make a flight and i had less than 45 min to get through and went right into the clear lanes and go to my terminal with about 30 min to spare and that just wouldnt have been possible otherwise.

[Jim @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:57PM]

I'll miss the service. I used it a lot at CVG, Orlando, and JFK Terminal 1. I am really pissed though with the renewal push that they put on the last few weeks. They were dishonest to say the least.

[Y0ssar1an @ Jun 23rd 2009 1:13PM]

Good riddance! A two tier system is just wrong. If the government policy should be universal, people shouldn't be able to buy their way out of it, especially for policy as controversial and inconvenient as airport security.

[austin @ Jun 23rd 2009 4:44PM]

i paid to skip the lines. you didnt. thats the way the world works.
i got my email around midnight last night from clear saying that they were done.
it was the greatest thing i had ever bought in an airport.

[Chris Paris @ Jun 23rd 2009 4:52PM]

Crap. It wasn't "two tiered."

In exchange for paying the fee, you had to undergo MORE SCRUTINY than the non-paying people. CLEAR members had to submit biometric data AND undergo a TSA and national criminal background check. The average flyer never had to do that. And yes, you still had to take your shoes off and go through the machines.

Idiots who think people were paying to bypass security are bypassing the asshole in their heads.

This was an amazing service that is well needed, but was poorly managed, probably because it was invented by a guy who knew nothing about the industry.

[BowserUSC @ Jun 23rd 2009 1:51PM]

If they had offered service at the airports I use I definitely would of paid for it.

I know El Al has something similar for frequent passengers. A retinal scan was all you needed to get through without hassle.

[Bill @ Jun 23rd 2009 6:07PM]

please.. government (or google) please bail them out and open up this service to EVERYONE. free. it will be nice.