Complain about a product or service

"Clear" Registered Travel Program Goes Dark

Company abruptly shuts off service for frequent flyers

By Martin H. Bosworth
ConsumerAffairs.com

June 23, 2009

Airport Security • Ex-Clear Customers Mount Class Action Lawsuit • "Clear" Registered Travel Program Goes Dark • TSA Suspends "Clear" Program After Laptop Theft • TSA's Air Cargo Plans Questioned • TSA Stops ShoeScanner In Its Tracks • New Controversy Dogs TSA Chief • TSA Worries About Terrorist 'Rehearsals' • "Registered Traveler" Expands to More Airports • Lighters, Breast Milk Get TSA's OK • JFK Airport Plot Renews Calls for Worker Screening • Future Security Could Feature Facial Photos • Bush May Veto Airport Screening Machines • Competition Comes to Registered Traveler Services • TSA Dragnet Aims to Block Potential Threats • Screening the Screeners Isn't Enough to Ensure Airport Security • Naked City Comes to Life in Phoenix Airport • TSA Adds Security Checks for Airport Employees

It was billed as the perfect antidote to long airport waits for busy flyers — simply pay $200 a year, submit some personal information, and you could be whisked to the front of the line for flights from many major airports. That was the promise of the "Clear" airport program, largest of the "Registered Traveler" priority-passenger programs.

But subscribers to the program were in for a shock yesterday, as the company abruptly ceased operations, its Web site replaced with a brief note saying it was closing down due to a dispute with its creditors.

"At the present time, because of its financial condition, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. cannot issue refunds," the Web site stated. The company's parent, later updated the site to add that it would take "appropriate steps" to delete the passenger data it had gathered.

The "Clear" program and its siblings were designed to circumvent higher security and longer lines imposed on airports in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The premise was that business travelers would submit extensive personal data — including biometric verification — to the Transportation Security Authority (TSA), which would vet the applicant and grant them permission to use "Clear," or other services.

Users of "Clear" would get a clear plastic ID card that could be used at any participating airport, or with competitors' terminals, in an effort to speed business travelers on their way while other passengers endured long lines, byzantine rules, and humiliating searches.

Many analysts blamed the program's shutdown on the economy, claiming that tight business budgets and high unemployment meant less air travel, and consequently less need for a fast-registration program.

Although "Clear" had the imprimatur of its founder and former CEO, media magnate Stephen Brill, and over $50 million in venture capital funding backing it, critics charged that programs like "Clear" did not offer any real security, as any potential terrorist or saboteur would find a way to forge their credentials and get past the system.

Privacy advocates also noted that the information gathered by Clear was not actually held by the TSA, but by the private companies backing the venture, such as Lockheed Martin.

"Now my personal information is within a database controlled by Lockheed Martin along with my biometrics," Greg of Centerville, Virginia told ConsumerAffairs.Com. "I don't know where it's going to end up or sold to in the future. The representatives told me they were just following instruction, but by who?"

The TSA temporarily shut down "Clear" in August of 2008 after a laptop was stolen from San Francisco International Airport containing personal data on 33,000 new applicants for the program.

Angry customers complained on various news sites that Clear had been charging them for renewals right up until the company's sudden shutdown, and demanded that Boston-based investor Spark Capital refund their payments.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share		Follow us on Twitter.

Back to the top |

Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2003-2009 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.    The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission.