Jaunted

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iQueue Wants to Register Travelers for Accelerated Check-in, Much Like CLEAR

Earlier this month we wrote about Alclear, the company that inherited the name and website of now-defunct registered traveler company CLEAR. They're very customer-centric, very focused on rebuilding CLEAR's lawsuit tarnished brand, and seem very focused on pulling off a successful relaunch. They've also opened lines in exactly zero airports.

Now another registered traveler company, iQueue, has leapfrogged CLEAR and opened their first line at IND. The program works more or less like CLEAR used to, with biometric information for each traveler being stored on a personalized iQueue card. The card is granted after the traveler shows up in person at an enrollment location, bringing the appropriate documents and providing the necessary fingerprint and iris scans. Enrollment locations currently only exist in the greater Indianapolis area, although obviously that will have to change sooner rather than later. Pre-enrollment is open now with two levels of membership, $149 for "Gold Ambassador" and $249 for "Platinum Priority."

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Stop the Presses: The Clear Card is Back

Happy Hump Day. Are you ready for a shocker? The Clear card has returned. That's right; the little membership card that gets you through airport security ahead of everyone else is back in business, but this time under new ownership.

Here's a brief refresher on Clear: If you paid Clear an annual membership fee of $199 and passed their background checks with the government, you got a little card with a chip in it that contains your biometric data. This card allowed you to use special Clear lanes at certain domestic airports, bypassing long security lines. In June 2009, after signing up over 200,000 travelers, Clear went bankrupt and denied refunds to members.

Now the original Clear has been brought out of bankruptcy and restarted, and they pledge to honor the contracts of members...those who haven't cut up their cards in frustration, at least. We had a Clear card once, and we found the company generally unorganized. Let's hope that things have changed.

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Class-Action Lawsuits For Clear, And It's About Time

To think that we've had to wait a full two weeks for lawsuits to be filed against defunct security pass Clear. It seems like forever ago, though only it was June 22, that Clear abruptly shut down it's expedited airport security lanes, website, and finances from over 200,000 customers each paying $200 a year for the rights to exactly those things.

Although we smelled trouble on the horizon and did not renew our membership in May, others weren't so lucky and are now out both the money and the knowledge that their iris and fingerprint scans are safe. Thus, sue to get it all back.

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TSA's Response To Clear Questions: 'Not Our Problem'

It's quick and it's dirty, but it gets the job done; yes, it's the TSA Blog's Response to your Clear questions. Although most of the post is devoted to reminding people that this whole debacle is not TSA's problem, but Clear's and that's who should deal with it, they nonetheless remind us that two other such companies still function out there: Flo and Vigilant.

Beyond that, the TSA assures that the market for such expedited security cards is still open: "This is purely a market-driven, private sector venture offered in partnership with airports and airlines. Another vender could potentially take up the program."

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Starwood Lessens The Blow for Its SPG Members Who Bought Clear

As the rest of Clear's members continue to worry about their refunds now that the "registered traveler" service has crapped out, Starwood Hotels' Starwood Preferred Guests members can breathe a little easier. That's because the loyalty program is offering 10,000 SPG points for any SPG member who signed up for Clear through the three-month free trial offer the program extended to its members.

Here's the official letter from SPG:

If you’re an SPG® member who purchased a subscription to Clear after accepting the SPG three-month free trial offer, we would like to credit your account with 10,000 Starpoints® for this unforeseen inconvenience. Please fax proof of your purchase (your Clear receipt or a credit card statement with the Clear/Verified Identity Pass, Inc. charge) along with your SPG number to 519-633-5865 before July 30, 2009 to receive your Starpoints. We will verify your Clear enrollment was processed through the Starwood Preferred Guest promotional site, then credit the Starpoints within 7 business days from receipt of eligible proof.

Remember: This is for SPG members who signed up for Clear through the three-month free trial offer. Coincidentally, we signed up for Clear through this exact offer but since there were no Clear stations near us to complete the in-person portion of the application, we never actually bought a Clear card. (We did get an email saying that all our information has been purged from their system.)

In the meantime, regular old Clear "suckers" can visit FlyClear.com for questions about their membership and refunds.

Related Stories:
· Clear Card Ceases Operations, And We Saw It Coming [Jaunted]
· Starwood Preferred Guests Get Clear Cards for Christmas [HotelChatter]

Clear / Airport Security / TSA / Travel News / → All Tags

Clear Card Ceases Operations, And We Saw It Coming

Can we confide in you for a moment? We saw the downfall of the Clear airport security fastlane card coming from a mile away. Before we delve into that however, let's talk about last night's huge shock for current Clear subscribers.

An email went out yesterday evening to Clear members at 8pm, with a simple message:

At 11:00 p.m. PST today, Clear will cease operations. Clear’s parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. has been unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations. After today, Clear lanes will be unavailable.

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Registered Traveler Program / Airport Security / Clear / Anil Dash / → All Tags

First Person Reviews: The Clear Card

Old-school blogger and all-around Internet guru Anil Dash is posting some "unsolicited testimonials" this week, including one of Clear. The registered traveler program, which grants you preferential security screening for a yearly fee, is a little unsettling to some folks because you have to fork over so much personal information to Clear's parent company, Verified Identity Pass. Others, like Budget Travel editor Erik Torkells, don't believe you should have to pay for good service--it should be standard operating procedure.

While we could debate the pros and cons all day, Dash gives us a full run-down on how the program works and why he likes it. And he just about sells us on the Clear card with his review:

This is some straight-up James Bond shit right here, people!...It was fanastic. In literally less than 3 minutes, I'd gone from frantic about making my flight to all the way to the metal detector, and [the Clear attendants] were even discreet enough the way it was implemented that I didn't feel like some line-jumping jerk. Even if, you know, that's essentially what you pay Clear for.

As Dash rightly mentions, Clear isn't for everyone because it's still not in too many cities. But for those of you who live near a Clear airport, he makes it sound like a great $100 investment.

[Photo: hyku]