Airport passengers will have access to faster security check
Passenger Michael Cormier, who is International Airport.
Hate waiting in line at the airport? A biometrics screening could speed up the time it takes to get to your plane — but it will cost you.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Wednesday is launching new technology, called Clear, to help process passengers through initial security lines. The system, which uses eye and fingerprint scans, will be available to travelers who want it at Terminal 2, where Delta Air Lines and Air Canada are located.
The service costs $15 a month. However, passengers younger than 18 can use the Clear line for free when traveling with a paid member.
How it works: At a Clear machine, images are taken of a person’s irises and fingerprints, so that enrolled travelers can go directly to the Clear line at security — no stopping to have their driver’s license, passport and airline ticket checked.
Clear users don’t get to skip the Transportation Security Administration’s physical check line, though, where a body scan is still possible.
The biometrics scan is often used by airport travelers in combination with TSA’s PreCheck. A fiveyear membership for that program costs $85, according to the TSA site.
TSA views Clear as “supplemental” to its security role, said Jason Martin, the agency’s federal security director.
“TSA looks for anything that lets us maintain security but increase efficiency,” he said. Clear is certified as a “qualified anti-terrorism technology” by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International is not the only South Florida airport to use Clear. Miami International Airport added the system in 2015, according to Greg Chin, spokesman for the MiamiDade Aviation Department. There, it is available at Checkpoints E and H, according to Clear.
“Expedited screening programs like TSA PreCheck and Clear are helping MIA screen 98 percent of our passengers in 20 minutes or less at our TSA checkpoints,” Chin
said.
Mark Gale, CEO and director of aviation for the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport, said it is employing technology to stay ahead of rapid growth. The airport is approaching 36 million passengers this year, up from 23.5 million five years ago, he said.
“It is products like Clear that are going to help us manage that growth,” he said at a news conference Wednesday.
Howard Kass, senior vice president of corporate affairs for Clear, said airline passengers enrolled in the program gain “a certainty and predictable experience when you’re going to the Fort Lauderdale airport, or one of the other 25 airport locations in the U.S.
“When passengers know they’re going to get through the screening process quickly, it allows them to better plan their day and travel,” Kass said.
Delta Air Lines is supporting the installation of Clear around the country because it “brings greater value to our customers,” according to Delta spokeswoman Kathryn Steele. “We all want travel to be seamless, and being able to speed through security lines with Clear is a key to that experience.”
Anyone interesting in signing up for Clear can start the process at clearme.com.