Throughout the year, I find myself in airports quite frequently, about once a month. Mostly for quick getaways of two to three days, occasionally for business and then a few week long (or longer) vacations. As we all know, security; while sorta, kind of a necessary evil has become an extreme hassle.
So late last month I flew with the better half to Denver and rented a car for a leisurely drive through the mountains to Crested Butte where we attended a relatives wedding. We could have flown on to Gunnison, saving time; but Katy (the one I answer to) had never been in Colorado before so we opted for the rental and some scenery. On our return to Denver International Airport, I noticed something I had never seen before.
A company called "Clear" had a kiosk at the beginning of the security line advertising "NO Wait" times and "easy security clearance" or words to that effect. They use "Biometrics", eye and fingerprint analysis to identify individuals. Great concept I thought, so we took a few moments to check them out. Waste of time for the most part.
The thought of quickly passing through security is compelling, however they have a big problem at the moment. The service is currently only available in Denver and Orlando's International Airports, although they are in "talks" with "many" other airports. Since my base airport is Tampa and I have only flown in and out of Orlando once in my life and Denver once in the past 8 years, it wouldn't do me much good at the moment. If you frequently fly out of each of these airports, they might have a case, but on your return trip you would still have to "clear" security at your destination airport the old fashioned way. Stand in line!
The price for this benefit is a mere $179.00 a year and you can add family members for $50.00. Children under 18 "Clear" for free when traveling with you, otherwise the little buggers stand in line, just like everyone else.
Like I said, the concept is good, but with only two airports that they service at the moment, they have lousy distribution. And, I am wondering, why is the federal government letting an outside vendor handle this type of operation and why do I have to pay extra for it?
My tax dollars pay for all of the TSA employee's, their equipment, and the various scanners, sniffers and x-ray machines now in use. Why can't the TSA incorporate this concept into the normal security procedure to expedite the process for all frequent flyer's. After all, isn't our President's new push the "Jobs" bill to get Americans back to work?
Sorry, that was slightly political............no, no I'm not!
Comments(1)