Originally published June 16 2005
Clear card which speeds airport check-in may be implemented nationwide
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A year-long test program, implemented by the Federal Government, has been allowing some passengers to bypass the frustrations of airport check-in by using a high-tech pass, says Brian Bergstein of The Associated Press on the website Information Week.
Since the federal government began letting select frequent fliers with new high-tech passes speed through airport security checkpoints, one of the biggest complaints has been that the year-old program is too limited to be of much use.
Now, a privately run version coming online in Florida could spur efforts to broaden the program--and boost media entrepreneur Steven Brill's vision of installing such a system across the nation at airports and other security-sensitive locations.
Beginning June 21, the Orlando airport will let travelers pay $80 a year for a card that guarantees an exclusive security line and the promise of no random secondary pat-down.
Similar systems exist at some European airports, and in five U.S. airports as part of a test by the Transportation Security Administration.
But the TSA's "Registered Traveler" program, which is free for now while in its test phase, has been capped at 10,000 participants, and cards obtained at one airport don't work at others.
The company behind Clear is Verified Identity Pass Inc., which Brill founded in 2003 in hopes of creating a nationwide, voluntary system that would give pre-screened people a dedicated fast lane for entering secure areas--not only at airports but also office buildings, power plants, and stadiums.
He's giving them good reason to listen: In its proposal to Orlando officials--which beat a rival bid from technology integrator Unisys Corp.--Verified ID promised to share 29% of Clear's first-year revenue with the airport authority and as much as 22.5% in succeeding years.
Privacy watchdogs have questioned how flyers' personal data will be handled, although Brill pledges that Clear will obtain minimal information on its members and store almost none.
For example, the system will not record its users' comings and goings the way automated toll-collection devices do.
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