The busy holiday travel season is here, and you might be considering one of the programs that promises to get you through airport security faster.
One of them is Clear Plus.
It has its own security lines. But Boston 25 News heard from travelers who say the Clear experience can vary airport to airport. We wanted to know if the benefits are worth your money.
There are 150 Clear Plus lanes at 58 airports nationwide,including Boston’s Logan International.
The program has operated in Boston for 7 years. Clear Plus says it serves 1 in every 8 passengers in Terminals A, B, and E.
Social media is abundant with mixed reviews for the dedicated lanes.
As Clear Plus members approach security, they’re scanned in with biometric data, currently using their eyes or fingertips.
“If not for Clear today, I probably wouldn’t have made it on time, said Boston traveler Shilpa Ganapadhineebi.
She told Boston 25′s Kerry Kavanaugh Clear saved her work trip the day they met at Logan.
“I kept checking if I’d be better off TSA and Clear. And then I saw Clear was pretty empty. So, it literally took me just 30 seconds to just get through the enrollment, through the biometric stuff. And then I was done,” Ganapadhineebi said.
But another traveler said she had Clear, and got rid of it.
“I wish that you could go to the top of the line when you’re when you’re doing your bags. But you don’t. You have to stand in the line with all the other people to go through there,” said Boston traveler Julie Peoples
“It is so inconsistent, said Boston 25′s Consumer Advisor Clark Howard. Howard is a Clear member himself. But he gets it discounted through a partner airline.
“You just don’t know. And it’s a lot of money to have something that’s a big question mark,” Howard said.
Clear Plus costs $199 a year.
There are discounts through some partners like Delta, United, Alaska and Hawaiian airlines and American Express.
“If I’m spending all that money for Clear and I get there and it’s not all clear, it’s a terrible experience. It makes me not want to pay when the renewal comes up,” Howard said.
During a call with investors in early 2024 Clear Plus Co-Founder Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Caryn Seidman-Becker said, “Last year we were obsessed with our members experience and in 2023, we did not consistently deliver the in-lane experience that our members have come to expect.”
“We’ve been working tirelessly to improve that,” said Kyle McLaughlin, executive vice president for aviation for Clear Plus. He says the company is working to improve the processing speed of the clear lanes through:
- Adding facial recognition as a screening method
- Increasing staffing
- Adding new integrations with TSA for a more seamless handoff
“...nobody’s going ahead of anybody else. Clear has dedicated entry points for coming through a separate clear line to get up to the TSA entry point. And we integrate our passengers with the other non-Clear passengers that are coming through there,” McLaughlin said.
Mclaughlin says in Boston, 95% of the time, Clear customers are through their lines in 5 minutes or less.
That’s not accounting for TSA security.
So Clear is now recommending travelers also get TSA PreCheck.
“We believe that having both of them together is the best of both worlds. You know, Clear expedites the front side of security and gets you through the identity verification process faster. TSA PreCheck expedited you through the backside of security,” McLaughlin said.
TSA PreCheck is $77.95 for 5 years, on top of the $199 Clear annual fee.
Clark Howard recommends if you’re interested in trying Clear Plus, look for a free trial period. But if you don’t like the experience, make sure you cancel, before they charge your card.
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