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Tags: 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]

Tags: Airport Security / TSA / Registered Traveler Program / → All Tags

TSA Puts Its Foot Down on Shoe Scanner

Time to abandon your fledgling hopes of keeping your shoes on through airport security. The latest gizmo designed to scan shoes for weapons and explosives doesn't cut it, the TSA says, and while we're sad we have to keep removing our kicks, at least the agency isn't deploying an ineffective screening tool. Or so you'd think.

This is big news at Orlando International Airport, says the New York Times, where the registered traveler program Clear was using a prototype of the scanner until today. Members of the program got to use the special machine, in addition to getting other benefits like shorter lines and a "concierge" to help you with your carry-ons.

But we're still confused about this ineffective prototype. As far as we can tell, it didn't work, yet was in use in Orlando. Shouldn't the TSA test these things out in simulated situations rather than the real world?

Related Stories:
· US Again Rejects a Shoe Scanner [NYT]
· TSA's Status Update on the Test [Official Site]
· TSA coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: TSA]