TSA PreCheck & CLEAR to Expand
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Soon it will be easier for travelers to avoid lines at airport security by utilizing the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck and the private trusted-traveler program CLEAR at more airlines and airports.
USA Today reported that the PreCheck program will grow to include 11 new airlines in the next month, while CLEAR, a private trusted-traveler program, recently added New York’s LaGuardia International Airport and will add more airports by April 15.
This means a total of 30 airlines are will now be participating in PreCheck to 30 and 22 airports across the country will offer CLEAR.
So what do these services mean for travelers? Well, PreCheck eliminates the need for members to remove shoes and take laptops or travel-sized liquids out of bags when they pass through security checkpoints at participating airports. It costs $85 for a five-year membership.
CLEAR lets you skip ID check lines and go straight to the TSA screen point by using their kiosks at certain airports, that use biometrics such as fingerprints and the unique patterns on the iris to identify its members.The USA Today story adds that because Delta Airlines owns a 5 percent stake in CLEAR, there are ways for frequent Delta fliers to get free or discounted memberships on the service that normally costs $179 annually.
New airlines in the PreCheck program are Emirates, Avianca, Sunwing Airlines, Aruba Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Spirit Airlines, Boutique Air, Southern Airways Express, Key Lime Air, Miami Air International, and Xtra Airways. Other airlines already in the PreCheck program include Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Lufthansa, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin America, to name a few.
CLEAR will open at Los Angeles International Airport in the next few months. The program is currently operational at airports in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Austin, Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, New York City, White Plains, Orlando, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle and Washington D.C.
