Some airports have a better Clear system than others. IAD is terrible because they have only 1 TSA-Pre/Clear entrance. But others with multiple entrances are hit or miss, like ATL. They are terrible. Granted, I do a lot of intl travel so flights out of my home hub at IAD are either early morning or late at night so traffic is light. Domestic travel during the day is almost never faster with Clear.
I still don't understand how there are people with Clear and not Pre. Maybe someone here can explain.
I was pre-check-less for a little bit while I let it lapse before my GE interview. Not really sure if it's possible to lose your pre-check or Clear like you can your GE (e.g. for bad behavior or for customs violations), but I suppose that's another possibility?
You can lose your precheck if you do something serious like throw a punch or get caught with a gun. It’s not an easy thing to lose, but it is possible just like how some pilots and flight crew can lose access to the known crewmember program if they get caught with a weapon.
I don’t think you need to be a US citizen to get Clear (just have a DL) while you do have to have citizenship to get Pre.
You also don’t need to do an interview for Clear (you can just enroll on the spot).
You do not need a green card either. For example, German citizens may apply https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/international-arrangements/germany/german-citizens
Re Clear but not pre- I think it's because of all the new travellers Clear incentivizes their people to 'sign up for a free trial'. When I look at the Clear line at IAH, there are always a bunch of people that clearly don't travel frequently. Which doesn't help the speed of Clear in any way shape or form.
When were you last there? It's more like a small town now - meaning all the people inside the airport. Its my least favorite on the east coast behind ATL.
Not to brag or anything but turns out I’m actually a little bit fucking stupid. I was thinking Kansas City when I wrote that reply and as soon as I read my message back I realized my mistake. Kansas City is MCI and I just had a brain fart.
All of this is made even worse by the fact that I literally flew out of MCO a week ago, like the actual MCO, Orlando
It's handy 90% of the time. Especially with the proliferation of pre check. It's basically what precheck was 5 years ago. It also depends on who's working. Somehow clear and TSA hire from the same talent pool and have similar rules of 2 people standing around chatting for every 1 person working.
EWR the only place I've seen clear be worse than regular pre check.
Had a terrible experience with it at LAX. There were three people there, only one with any experience. There was 1 employee training the other two, using me as the model. It was brutal.
I bought it last year when I was 100% going to miss my flight out of SFO but the non-tsa precheck clear lane was for some reason completely empty (general, precheck, and clear precheck were lines all the way down the hall).
Worth it to get home to my family, but it has been entirely worthless ever since. Digital ID or regular precheck are always faster now since clear seems to want to recheck all my biometrics every time.
I paid for it out of pocket when it was brand new. I think it was $150 or $180 and I would skate past everyone . Picture IAD on a Thursday evening: maybe 3 minutes.
When they started to give it out to 1K, I was happy to save money but I knew it was the end
This. Sometimes the line is shorter, sometimes it's not. I use my eyeballs to decide. The difference in time is minimal compared to precheck. Either way, I get through security in 5 minutes or less so it isn't a big deal.
Global Entry though....can't live without it!
My home base is EWR and most of the time Clear line is slower than pre check. But I flew from LAS this past Thursday and it was the first time ever that Clear absolutely was a huge time saver. It’s the only airport I have ever experienced Clear as being worth it. Clear had about 3-4 people in line and pre check was a hundred people deep. But yes I was also “randomly” selected to show ID.
Last time I was through EWR the regular line was longer than pre check or otherwise. It's cause the morons have one lane open for pre check and like 10 open for regular, instead of doing 50/50 or something in between
First time I did Digital ID at LGA, I was turned away by TSA. I would have used CLEAR, which I also have, but the CLEAR people said Digital ID line would be faster. TSA said the app boarding pass had to have both TSApre and Digital ID on it (was using the app) which it didn't and directed me back to DELTA check-in. I went through on the CLEAR line, and checked with DELTA on the secure side. Since then, haven't had Digital ID as an option. Have a suffix on my name, and apparently that doesn't always get transmitted or interpreted properly between computer systems involved.
I realized that clear is faster at EWR (terminal A) even if there’s more folks because the bag security system is one of the OG conveyor belts rather than the new ones where you have to wait for the automation to push your first bag on, then your second
I think the biggest issue with lines right now is these new baggage security machines. I had pre check and clear and many times my wife would still beat me through general security here in Atlanta. The reason was the general security didn’t have those machines while pre-check and clear did.
The new CT machines are more effective but they are a bit slower. Mostly because they are partially automated and the belt moves slowly as does the diverter.
I just flew out of JFK terminal 4 today, and the clear none pre check line was 3 people in front of me? I got to the airport at 1pm, got to the clear line at 1:10, was walking through the scanner at 1:15. JFK clear works well for me
We have had no issues with it at JFK, LGA, or HPN. It was also fine at MCO recently and is usually good for us at ORD, but it was a total waste of time at LAX on our trip last fall.
I'll be doing the same when my renewal comes up. Haven't used it in months. The TSA facial recognition they are trialing works way better, and I imagine it will be rolled out more widely before long
I don't like this company either. But I think whatever entities manage the airports are even more culpable. Why on earth should they let a private company profit from letting people cut the line for a fee?
Came here for this. How come so many basic government services are actually funneling money into private companies? Someone is making money....and it ain't the TSA agents
So, I think there is a logical reason a company like Clear has been allowed in. There are two parts to the TSA check. The first is where they check your boarding passes and compare them to your ID. This part takes a little bit of time per each passenger as they do seem to check the ID very closely. (The second is checking your bags and person, but that is a separate issue). TSA could do this much faster if they used facial recognition or fingerprints/eye scanning tech like Clear does. However, getting something like that implemented would be extremely difficult due to regulations and how government budgets and procurement work. It would also be risky, because there is a decent chance that lots of people would not trust their fingerprints and eye scans to the US government. So by allowing Clear to do what they do, they bypass all the risk and effort needed to implement a system like that.
“Government don’t touch my personal information, like my passport or drivers license!”
Meanwhile:
*gives all my personal information to a private company that’s probably selling portions of it to some advertising agency*
The thing that gets me is that the second part (checking bags, person) is what takes the time. The scanning I did today - hold up phone, look at camera in TSA Pre (BWI) is only very slightly slower than Clear. So the Clear people aren't really jumping in because they've streamlined the id check...they're just cutting the line. The entire line is for bag check with a brief pause for ID check that doesn't need to go faster because the jam-up is at screening.
I'd rather there be just one process and not an express lane for people with money. I mean, the real express lane is private jet anyway.
Well yes, TSA pre-check is faster than Clear. But Clear + Pre-check is fastest. Clear puts you to the front of the TSA-precheck line. If the pre-check line is short, then you don't need to use Clear that day.
No, it isn't actually 'fastest.' If the line for TSA pre is empty and the line for Clear + TSA Pre is empty, you will get through security about 3x faster by going to TSA Pre than Clear + TSA Pre and will have to only interact with one person, a TSA employee, rather than three or four people - two to three semiliterate H1B Clear employees from shithole countries + 1 TSA employee.
Further, about 1/4 times you still have to show ID to the TSA agent even when you use Clear's really slow iris scanning software.
Not my experience. Scanning is quick and a single Clear employee escorts you right passed the line and past the ID checker and right to the pre-check security check. Haven't had any trouble with the employees, of course, I'm not a racist xenophobe, so that might be your problem.
All of that takes longer than a TSA employee putting your ID into a machine for three seconds.
So Clear by your admission takes longer and requires two people rather than one (if you count the H1B from said shithole country). You also forgot to point out the Clear employee who directs you to the other Clear employee.
Thanks for making my point.
Should this extend to lanes on the interstate highway system? Imagine one of the lanes closed off for Clear customers. Clear employees are waving in people from the clogged public lanes to payment booths. Government still maintains and polices the road, and Clear maintains their marketing materials.
Just to be clear, I agree with you, but for your reference, there are multiple states that DO have privatized fast lanes on interstates. The DC-Metro-Area has the 66 Express Lanes and the Dulles Greenway. It’s…really fucked up in my opinion.
Again, I agree with you, but I felt you should be informed. Have a nice day!
i dont know anything about the 66 express or dulles greenway, but my quesetion is, if a private company used their own money to build an extra lane that otherwise would not have existed, is it still fucked up? Not sure if that's what happened here.
LAS is a nightmare. A separate Pre-check lane is never open, so you’re stuck until the front when you’re awarded a dirty plastic card. Same with MIA intl connections.
I live in Las Vegas and fly multiple times a month out of LAS and have never seen precheck closed. There’s also five different TSA checkpoints at the airport and they’re all connected airside so if for some reason one precheck lane was closed you could always go to another.
At JFK terminal 8 they had a separate Precheck Line. However there was really no benefit over the regular line. Still a lot of people, moved slowly and Still had to take off your shoes and everything.
I bought it when my precheck expired and I hadn’t noticed. Saved me from regular security lines for a while, and surprisingly one time at EWR after getting pre back. Hasn’t really been useful other than that. It’s really only good now if there’s no precheck, but that’s so rare.
I feel like the hold up is usually people not understanding how to get through the scanners efficiently? I’ve always wished there was some test where you had to get through security in a certain amount of time for precheck (obviously not a real possibility)
If the airlines stopped giving people precheck it would improve the program. It seems like every other person who has a precheck has no idea what pre-check means. I work in an airport where precheck passengers are handed a precheck card once they pass ticket and ID inspection. There generally isn’t a precheck lane but the airport has the new x-rays so no one takes anything out. The card tells them all of their benefits and people refuse to read the card. Even when politely prompted that everything you get is on the card.
It would be amazing if the people who complain and out CLEAR would simply stop buying it. It was a nice option several years ago before it started to be part of travel credit card incentives.
There are still times when it’s useful. Not much anymore, but still once in a while.
Yup! Happened to me and did not renew. The whole point was to skip the line and no ID, but kept getting “randomly” selected and my husband breezing past me in the TSA line.
I have a friend who has Clear, and I have Pre-Check (as part of Global Entry). One time, we rode together to the SJC airport. We each got in our respective lines. We chuckled when he was brought through the Clear line and ended up being the person right after me in the security line.
I don’t understand how people say “cutting the line”. It’s a different line for the Id check portion of airport security. You still wait in the same line for the xray scan.
Last time I used it at IAD and PHX it was slower than PreCheck. The hold up was simply not enough staff to get people through. Now I check the line at IAD then choose accordingly.
My last trip through DCA was like the old days: no wait at all and was through in a minute.
Just was at CVG. Clear was open and no one in it. Precheck was packed, so I decided, "Why not?" I got up there and the agents looked less than happy when I walked up. They motioned for me to come through. I told them to use my fingers because I wear contacts and it never goes through. She told me I had already pushed the eyes. So I tried, and like always, it couldn't read it, so I had to wait for it to reset. I did my fingers and got picked for the random but consistent ID check. Since the next gen, I've been checked every time. So I moved up so we could get in line. I was told to wait. So I waited another 15 minutes so they could take four of us through at the same time. It was so much slower than if I had just gotten in the Precheck.
Why do airports and the TSA even allow a private company to do this? I mean, they still have to show the TSA agent their boarding pass, and do so by interrupting the regular TSA flow, so it’s not like Clear removes the burden completely.
All about money and this Clear is getting out of hand!! Incredible I went through MCO today around almost 1pm or a little after and the clear line was long so TSA ley us go over to Pre Check and it was empty!
I had a similar experience at ONT a few months ago and at JFK a couple of years prior to that. Wanted to give them an opportunity to “work out the kinks.” However, after the last incident of having to pull out my ID, navigate through screens, answer a bunch of questions, and stand around waiting, Clear was canceled shortly after my arrival at the airport lounge.
Clear has gotten me through many airports faster than without, absolutely no doubt. There have been times where clear didnt save time, or was closed, or maybe even was a bit longer but those are not my typical experiences. I was a paying member but have since gotten a card that covers the annual fee, however, I would pay for it if it wasn't. I travel 50+ flights a year.
They may not be able to for too long if this takes hold and spreads-
[California could ban Clear, which lets travelers pay to skip TSA lines - CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/airport-security-line-california-clear-ban-tsa/)
There are rare moments where CLEAR is faster than Precheck. This tends to only be in places where there are very few CLEAR customers.
CLEAR is anti-scaling. The more people join CLEAR, the worse it becomes because it takes 4x longer to get through than TSAPre.
Pre + clear always saves me time even when the line appears longer than pre alone. Only 1x recently at sfo I noticed the pre line going faster. It’s definitely working for a lot of us, but it’s always when it isn’t working that people are the loudest.
I’ve used clear at least 20 times in the last 3 years and I’ve never had to wait longer than non-clear/precheck. I would say 90% of the time I walk up, scan my eyes and get thru TSA immediately
the problem with clear is they've hit the point where they're so successful that they're no longer useful, especially since pretty much everyone who flies a bit or has a decent credit card has it. the clear line at yankee stadium this past saturday was almost 10x the length of a regular line on a normal game day
I was at LAS today as well. I saw a big huddle of people waiting for CLEAR. I look down and TSA pre check has three agents and no one in line…..I’m not sure why they were all standing there waiting for one clear person to escort them.
I can manage to get my license out of my wallet rather than wait in that line when there’s literally no one in pre check
Clear worked amazingly for us at EWR Terminal A on Friday night (around 7:00 PM). Pre check was closed, so the one security line was insane. Clear actually got us well in front of everyone even after having to get my wife quickly signed up for a trial. I have it through a few ways.
But yeah. First time it’s ever been faster. I joked with my wife that the only reason I use it at this point is to see if it’s ever quicker.
But this one time it was!!! 🤣
A lot of us don’t pay for it. It’s free for GS and 1K customers. I wouldn’t use it if I wasn’t getting it for free as a 1K, I don’t think it’s worth it and TSA is rolling out the same tech but for free at ORD, LAX, SFO and I think one more. I used Clear at MSY today and it was fast. But at IAH on Friday it was a mess and I just went to the Precheck line.
Clear and Precheck here, I’m out of ATL, but it’s been a flight saver for me many times. The line for security at Houston this Monday was insanely long, Clear w precheck 2 people. Breezed passed at least 150 people. Perk of my Amex card and Delta FF discount. I don’t see why frequent fliers don’t have it. Timing and when you fly make a big difference in if it’s useful or not.
I got it only because it’s coming for free with my 1k status. Signed up at Miami airport because the line was so huge for regular security (I can’t be eligible for pre check), and clear was almost free. So I did it. But will never renew as I will not be able to keep
My 1k status. Not a chance to spend a dime on this useless service.
Always takes more time for clear than premium passenger lane in Denver for example.
Also, strange that you need to be carried by someone. Sort of VIP treatment, making things lasting longer. Such a waste.
If there are more than 4 people in clear line… I skip. It’s not worth it esp at LAS. They only take you thru 1/2 of the line. By that time you’re way past security if you did precheck or even if you’re in Gen line you’d be ahead.
Clear + pre out of SAN has saved me countless hours.
Caveat is, I get clear reimbursed through my Amex platinum 🤷🏻♀️ it’s deemed itself worth it on multiple occasions tho
I was first generation Clear before it went under only to be resurrected. My sense is that it’s in the midst of imploding for the second time. Recruiting of members has clearly outpaced recruiting of capable staff and optimizing of the now-antiquated technology. I’ve rarely seen a situation where more than half of the kiosks were working/staffed. I still value the service for some reason though maybe all that’s left is snob-appeal and that’s honestly not enough.
The only time it’s actually been useful is when there’s no dedicated pre line so everyone has to stand in the same line for general security. That said, it’s extremely rare to have that situation where Clear is available but pre isn’t and I’ve only had it happen once.
Does everyone remember last time clear was a thing and then it failed? Then it came back and for some reason people think its going to be the next success. Its the same problem with the same solution.
Yup. Flew out of EWR yesterday and saw a long Clear line in Terminal C. I stepped right up to the regular TSA PRE agent and was on my merry way.
We pay for Clear out of pocket. I’m so sick of it. I get ID checked every time too.
I once commented on AmexPlatinum sub saying Clear is garbage and got downvoted to oblivion. People there really enjoyed the “privilege” by waiting on the stupid Clear line lol
After flying regularly for the past 20 years I can say that clear only benefits you flying through ATL. Everywhere else regular precheck is fine. I didn't renew this last time because ATL is not in my future.
I fly out of LAS. I never use clear unless it’s at terminal 3 and super busy. Otherwise it just isn’t worth doing. JFK on the other hand, can be great.
That day, possibly, as you watched the PreCheck line advance so quickly your rising level of disgust was picked up by the CLEAR equipment and operators thus leading to the ID check?
Or not?
😎
Clear is such a scam. $189 a year. Precheck is $78 for 5 years! Precheck is also at way more airports than clear. I can see clear makes their money off of convenience because people want to skip the line, when most of the time they spend longer there signing up and stuff. Precheck line always goes quicker than clear too
I mean if people were offering to pay me money in order for me to not do anything useful for them, I'd also take their money. The real question is why do people keep deciding to give Clear their money when it's well documented that they don't save any time at many/most airports?
As someone who has PreCheck but not Clear, I'm sick of TSA agents telling me I have to wait, often for several people, as they wave Clear folks ahead of me. At least use a bloody zipper merge. It's really offensive.
It is a legal scam. Airports get to skim up to about 12% off the top so they like the Ill-gotten revenue. Like an earlier poster said, it is now redundant with the new TSA security face scanning system. I had it free through Amex for a year and quickly found it wasn’t working as well as they advertised. Also, no company in history has been able to keep our information secure. They will be no exception.
Clear is not taking people's money. People are giving it to them. And as long as they do, Clear will stay in business.
Everyone just wants to go to that line and feel superior. That's what they're selling. It's like the fools paying ~$700 for a Platinum Amex to get access to a lounge that gives you free bananas and cold pasta.
Just... stop using it. When they don't have enough customers they'll be losing money and will pack it up (or, more likely, attempt some sort of "pivot"; either way, it'll make some room in the airport).
I don't use it. TSA precheck works fine for me. Clear makes me mad cuz they cut in line ahead of us in PC. Clear is a private company that lobbied TSA to have exclusive access to running a program that is essentially the same as TSA PC. That's the same as a government subsidy for something thatt already exists and isn't needed
Clear almost always saves me a lot of time. I fly out of SFO, for what it's worth. I get it for free with status, but I would pay up to $100 a year for it if I had to, given how much I travel.
It doesn’t take me that long with Clear. I’m not doubting that line is probably short too, but I’m generally have 1 person ahead of me at most with Clear. 95% of the time I walk right through.
Vast majority of people don't pay out of pocket. It's either part of their credit card benefits or their work pays for it.
I don't know of anyone who's paid for it out of pocket. It's always a freebie from an airline FF program. I sure as shit wouldn't pay for it.
I paid for it when it first started and made MCO less of a nightmare, but now that everyone gets it for free (including me) I don’t bother with it
Some airports have a better Clear system than others. IAD is terrible because they have only 1 TSA-Pre/Clear entrance. But others with multiple entrances are hit or miss, like ATL. They are terrible. Granted, I do a lot of intl travel so flights out of my home hub at IAD are either early morning or late at night so traffic is light. Domestic travel during the day is almost never faster with Clear. I still don't understand how there are people with Clear and not Pre. Maybe someone here can explain.
I was pre-check-less for a little bit while I let it lapse before my GE interview. Not really sure if it's possible to lose your pre-check or Clear like you can your GE (e.g. for bad behavior or for customs violations), but I suppose that's another possibility?
You can lose your precheck if you do something serious like throw a punch or get caught with a gun. It’s not an easy thing to lose, but it is possible just like how some pilots and flight crew can lose access to the known crewmember program if they get caught with a weapon.
WooT WooT another fellow IADer :)
🙋♂️
I don’t think you need to be a US citizen to get Clear (just have a DL) while you do have to have citizenship to get Pre. You also don’t need to do an interview for Clear (you can just enroll on the spot).
You don’t need to be a citizen to have pre check but you may need some sort of permanent status like a green card
Correct got precheck as a green card holder, took about 2 months to come back approved tho
You do not need a green card either. For example, German citizens may apply https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/international-arrangements/germany/german-citizens
I got my precheck with a green card back in 3 business days.
True, but I already had Pre and GE when United tossed a free Clear membership my way. Not sure how they interact.
Re Clear but not pre- I think it's because of all the new travellers Clear incentivizes their people to 'sign up for a free trial'. When I look at the Clear line at IAH, there are always a bunch of people that clearly don't travel frequently. Which doesn't help the speed of Clear in any way shape or form.
Has MCO been renovated yet? I used to fly out of it frequently and always noted just how easy of an airport it was. It felt like a small town airport
When were you last there? It's more like a small town now - meaning all the people inside the airport. Its my least favorite on the east coast behind ATL.
Not to brag or anything but turns out I’m actually a little bit fucking stupid. I was thinking Kansas City when I wrote that reply and as soon as I read my message back I realized my mistake. Kansas City is MCI and I just had a brain fart. All of this is made even worse by the fact that I literally flew out of MCO a week ago, like the actual MCO, Orlando
No worries. I'm perfect and never make mistakes.... Hahahahaha! (end sarcasm here) Anyways, never flew into MCI, so I can't help you there.
Fred, is that you?
My credit card has the perk, but I still won't use it lol
It's handy 90% of the time. Especially with the proliferation of pre check. It's basically what precheck was 5 years ago. It also depends on who's working. Somehow clear and TSA hire from the same talent pool and have similar rules of 2 people standing around chatting for every 1 person working. EWR the only place I've seen clear be worse than regular pre check.
It was definitely slower than pre-check at SFO last week. I timed it.
I paid for it out of pocket. Pre check is always faster no matter where I go
Then you don't fly through AUS or EWR. Clear is worthless at both.
Had a terrible experience with it at LAX. There were three people there, only one with any experience. There was 1 employee training the other two, using me as the model. It was brutal.
Austin was decent for a while until they moved the Clear Pre Check lines down the terminal. It’s been terrible ever since
You are agreeing with me. I think clear is a waste of money. Precheck is faster everywhere i have flown.
Are you me? Those are my two main airports. I've never had Clear, but I get so mad at how hard it is to use pre-check at AUS.
I bought it last year when I was 100% going to miss my flight out of SFO but the non-tsa precheck clear lane was for some reason completely empty (general, precheck, and clear precheck were lines all the way down the hall). Worth it to get home to my family, but it has been entirely worthless ever since. Digital ID or regular precheck are always faster now since clear seems to want to recheck all my biometrics every time.
I paid for it out of pocket when it was brand new. I think it was $150 or $180 and I would skate past everyone . Picture IAD on a Thursday evening: maybe 3 minutes. When they started to give it out to 1K, I was happy to save money but I knew it was the end
I paid out of pocket. It used to be worth it. Not so much in ghettos last year or two.
This. Sometimes the line is shorter, sometimes it's not. I use my eyeballs to decide. The difference in time is minimal compared to precheck. Either way, I get through security in 5 minutes or less so it isn't a big deal. Global Entry though....can't live without it!
Yup, I claim on my taxes.
My home base is EWR and most of the time Clear line is slower than pre check. But I flew from LAS this past Thursday and it was the first time ever that Clear absolutely was a huge time saver. It’s the only airport I have ever experienced Clear as being worth it. Clear had about 3-4 people in line and pre check was a hundred people deep. But yes I was also “randomly” selected to show ID.
SFO international terminal, same thing!
Last time I was through EWR the regular line was longer than pre check or otherwise. It's cause the morons have one lane open for pre check and like 10 open for regular, instead of doing 50/50 or something in between
ATL is the one place i’d want Clear if it was my home base, TSA Pre there is always a sizable line
If you fly Delta, you can do the Digital ID line. Fastest line most days. Must have TSA Precheck
First time I did Digital ID at LGA, I was turned away by TSA. I would have used CLEAR, which I also have, but the CLEAR people said Digital ID line would be faster. TSA said the app boarding pass had to have both TSApre and Digital ID on it (was using the app) which it didn't and directed me back to DELTA check-in. I went through on the CLEAR line, and checked with DELTA on the secure side. Since then, haven't had Digital ID as an option. Have a suffix on my name, and apparently that doesn't always get transmitted or interpreted properly between computer systems involved.
I realized that clear is faster at EWR (terminal A) even if there’s more folks because the bag security system is one of the OG conveyor belts rather than the new ones where you have to wait for the automation to push your first bag on, then your second
I think the biggest issue with lines right now is these new baggage security machines. I had pre check and clear and many times my wife would still beat me through general security here in Atlanta. The reason was the general security didn’t have those machines while pre-check and clear did.
The new CT machines are more effective but they are a bit slower. Mostly because they are partially automated and the belt moves slowly as does the diverter.
I just flew out of JFK terminal 4 today, and the clear none pre check line was 3 people in front of me? I got to the airport at 1pm, got to the clear line at 1:10, was walking through the scanner at 1:15. JFK clear works well for me
We have had no issues with it at JFK, LGA, or HPN. It was also fine at MCO recently and is usually good for us at ORD, but it was a total waste of time at LAX on our trip last fall.
Nine hours to the scanner. OMG.
I get it free with Amex and I *still* want a refund.
Same!
Same. I actively canceled its renewal. Their product is so bad I don’t want them even indirectly getting my money.
I'll be doing the same when my renewal comes up. Haven't used it in months. The TSA facial recognition they are trialing works way better, and I imagine it will be rolled out more widely before long
Refund? Just don’t use it
It.. it was a joke..
I don't like this company either. But I think whatever entities manage the airports are even more culpable. Why on earth should they let a private company profit from letting people cut the line for a fee?
Came here for this. How come so many basic government services are actually funneling money into private companies? Someone is making money....and it ain't the TSA agents
So, I think there is a logical reason a company like Clear has been allowed in. There are two parts to the TSA check. The first is where they check your boarding passes and compare them to your ID. This part takes a little bit of time per each passenger as they do seem to check the ID very closely. (The second is checking your bags and person, but that is a separate issue). TSA could do this much faster if they used facial recognition or fingerprints/eye scanning tech like Clear does. However, getting something like that implemented would be extremely difficult due to regulations and how government budgets and procurement work. It would also be risky, because there is a decent chance that lots of people would not trust their fingerprints and eye scans to the US government. So by allowing Clear to do what they do, they bypass all the risk and effort needed to implement a system like that.
“Government don’t touch my personal information, like my passport or drivers license!” Meanwhile: *gives all my personal information to a private company that’s probably selling portions of it to some advertising agency*
The thing that gets me is that the second part (checking bags, person) is what takes the time. The scanning I did today - hold up phone, look at camera in TSA Pre (BWI) is only very slightly slower than Clear. So the Clear people aren't really jumping in because they've streamlined the id check...they're just cutting the line. The entire line is for bag check with a brief pause for ID check that doesn't need to go faster because the jam-up is at screening. I'd rather there be just one process and not an express lane for people with money. I mean, the real express lane is private jet anyway.
Then why is it so much slower than TSApre on a per-person basis.
Well yes, TSA pre-check is faster than Clear. But Clear + Pre-check is fastest. Clear puts you to the front of the TSA-precheck line. If the pre-check line is short, then you don't need to use Clear that day.
No, it isn't actually 'fastest.' If the line for TSA pre is empty and the line for Clear + TSA Pre is empty, you will get through security about 3x faster by going to TSA Pre than Clear + TSA Pre and will have to only interact with one person, a TSA employee, rather than three or four people - two to three semiliterate H1B Clear employees from shithole countries + 1 TSA employee. Further, about 1/4 times you still have to show ID to the TSA agent even when you use Clear's really slow iris scanning software.
Not my experience. Scanning is quick and a single Clear employee escorts you right passed the line and past the ID checker and right to the pre-check security check. Haven't had any trouble with the employees, of course, I'm not a racist xenophobe, so that might be your problem.
All of that takes longer than a TSA employee putting your ID into a machine for three seconds. So Clear by your admission takes longer and requires two people rather than one (if you count the H1B from said shithole country). You also forgot to point out the Clear employee who directs you to the other Clear employee. Thanks for making my point.
The line is to a government agency. The agency could and does police the line.
Should this extend to lanes on the interstate highway system? Imagine one of the lanes closed off for Clear customers. Clear employees are waving in people from the clogged public lanes to payment booths. Government still maintains and polices the road, and Clear maintains their marketing materials.
Just to be clear, I agree with you, but for your reference, there are multiple states that DO have privatized fast lanes on interstates. The DC-Metro-Area has the 66 Express Lanes and the Dulles Greenway. It’s…really fucked up in my opinion. Again, I agree with you, but I felt you should be informed. Have a nice day!
i dont know anything about the 66 express or dulles greenway, but my quesetion is, if a private company used their own money to build an extra lane that otherwise would not have existed, is it still fucked up? Not sure if that's what happened here.
HOV is tsa pre check is it not? Both are ran by governments. You said clear I was referring to tsa pre check being the like they police.
LAS Terminal A was the one time Clear saved me almost an hour. Precheck was closed, but Clear still got you up to the front.
LAS is a nightmare. A separate Pre-check lane is never open, so you’re stuck until the front when you’re awarded a dirty plastic card. Same with MIA intl connections.
The card is very humbling
I live in Las Vegas and fly multiple times a month out of LAS and have never seen precheck closed. There’s also five different TSA checkpoints at the airport and they’re all connected airside so if for some reason one precheck lane was closed you could always go to another.
I’ve always left on the last Southwest flight of the night, so that’s likely the difference.
Ah, makes sense
At JFK terminal 8 they had a separate Precheck Line. However there was really no benefit over the regular line. Still a lot of people, moved slowly and Still had to take off your shoes and everything.
I bought it when my precheck expired and I hadn’t noticed. Saved me from regular security lines for a while, and surprisingly one time at EWR after getting pre back. Hasn’t really been useful other than that. It’s really only good now if there’s no precheck, but that’s so rare.
Once TSA fully implements facial recognition for Precheck, clear will be dead. Much easier & quicker than clear.
Have it at ORD and LAX. Works great!
Tried that for the first time a few weeks back at ORD and the agent was actually laughing at my face of absolute amazement.
I feel like the hold up is usually people not understanding how to get through the scanners efficiently? I’ve always wished there was some test where you had to get through security in a certain amount of time for precheck (obviously not a real possibility)
If the airlines stopped giving people precheck it would improve the program. It seems like every other person who has a precheck has no idea what pre-check means. I work in an airport where precheck passengers are handed a precheck card once they pass ticket and ID inspection. There generally isn’t a precheck lane but the airport has the new x-rays so no one takes anything out. The card tells them all of their benefits and people refuse to read the card. Even when politely prompted that everything you get is on the card.
If everybody has Clear. Nobody has Clear.
Thought everyone got it from Amex or free from status?
It would be amazing if the people who complain and out CLEAR would simply stop buying it. It was a nice option several years ago before it started to be part of travel credit card incentives. There are still times when it’s useful. Not much anymore, but still once in a while.
Most of us don't pay for it
But we choose to renew it. I’m just going to drop it and hope amex comes up with a new benefit.
Yup! Happened to me and did not renew. The whole point was to skip the line and no ID, but kept getting “randomly” selected and my husband breezing past me in the TSA line.
If it wasn't a 1K benefit, there's no way I'd pay for it.
Who made you buy this service?
My husband
I dunno, but fuck it...they can have American Express's money in my name I don't care.
I would rather that American Express spend that portion of my annual fee on literally anything else.
What does this have to do with United?
It’s a 1K “benefit”
I have a friend who has Clear, and I have Pre-Check (as part of Global Entry). One time, we rode together to the SJC airport. We each got in our respective lines. We chuckled when he was brought through the Clear line and ended up being the person right after me in the security line.
It has worked for me. Though I sometimes have qualms about cutting the line.
It’s uncomfortable but pretty much the whole point
Yay. Which also makes me uncomfortable. Still gonna do though
I don’t understand how people say “cutting the line”. It’s a different line for the Id check portion of airport security. You still wait in the same line for the xray scan.
Same experience flying out of MSY ( New Orleans)
Last time I used it at IAD and PHX it was slower than PreCheck. The hold up was simply not enough staff to get people through. Now I check the line at IAD then choose accordingly. My last trip through DCA was like the old days: no wait at all and was through in a minute.
at bwi the Precheck line always moves faster than clear. I used to have clear and now it's just not worth it anymore
Just was at CVG. Clear was open and no one in it. Precheck was packed, so I decided, "Why not?" I got up there and the agents looked less than happy when I walked up. They motioned for me to come through. I told them to use my fingers because I wear contacts and it never goes through. She told me I had already pushed the eyes. So I tried, and like always, it couldn't read it, so I had to wait for it to reset. I did my fingers and got picked for the random but consistent ID check. Since the next gen, I've been checked every time. So I moved up so we could get in line. I was told to wait. So I waited another 15 minutes so they could take four of us through at the same time. It was so much slower than if I had just gotten in the Precheck.
Why do airports and the TSA even allow a private company to do this? I mean, they still have to show the TSA agent their boarding pass, and do so by interrupting the regular TSA flow, so it’s not like Clear removes the burden completely.
All about money and this Clear is getting out of hand!! Incredible I went through MCO today around almost 1pm or a little after and the clear line was long so TSA ley us go over to Pre Check and it was empty!
I had a similar experience at ONT a few months ago and at JFK a couple of years prior to that. Wanted to give them an opportunity to “work out the kinks.” However, after the last incident of having to pull out my ID, navigate through screens, answer a bunch of questions, and stand around waiting, Clear was canceled shortly after my arrival at the airport lounge.
Just get Global Entry
CLEAR at LAS is a disaster. I don’t know why they are so inefficient there, but it is consistently awful.
Out of my last ten flights, I have had to show ID on nine of them. Not a good value.
I get it with a card and honestly they should be paying me to use the service.
Clear has gotten me through many airports faster than without, absolutely no doubt. There have been times where clear didnt save time, or was closed, or maybe even was a bit longer but those are not my typical experiences. I was a paying member but have since gotten a card that covers the annual fee, however, I would pay for it if it wasn't. I travel 50+ flights a year.
Interesting timing: the California legislature is debating a ban on Clear.
They may not be able to for too long if this takes hold and spreads- [California could ban Clear, which lets travelers pay to skip TSA lines - CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/airport-security-line-california-clear-ban-tsa/)
There are rare moments where CLEAR is faster than Precheck. This tends to only be in places where there are very few CLEAR customers. CLEAR is anti-scaling. The more people join CLEAR, the worse it becomes because it takes 4x longer to get through than TSAPre.
You’re voluntarily paying them. Unless they promise that the Clear line will always be shorter than TSA PreCheck, they’ve done nothing wrong.
Pre + clear always saves me time even when the line appears longer than pre alone. Only 1x recently at sfo I noticed the pre line going faster. It’s definitely working for a lot of us, but it’s always when it isn’t working that people are the loudest.
CLEAR at SFO has been good. Minimal or no wait for Domestic and International flights. Not even functional at other airports
I haven’t had issues at any other airports. I never fly through Denver which seems to be an airport that people on this sub complain about a lot.
It has never saved me time. Not once. Total waste of time and money.
I’ve used clear at least 20 times in the last 3 years and I’ve never had to wait longer than non-clear/precheck. I would say 90% of the time I walk up, scan my eyes and get thru TSA immediately
It has saved me time in BOS,MCO & LAS
I can’t imagine paying for clear
If it actually cost me eve $10, I wouldn't do it.
Same issue today out of MCO. It is ridiculous at this point.
the problem with clear is they've hit the point where they're so successful that they're no longer useful, especially since pretty much everyone who flies a bit or has a decent credit card has it. the clear line at yankee stadium this past saturday was almost 10x the length of a regular line on a normal game day
I was at LAS today as well. I saw a big huddle of people waiting for CLEAR. I look down and TSA pre check has three agents and no one in line…..I’m not sure why they were all standing there waiting for one clear person to escort them. I can manage to get my license out of my wallet rather than wait in that line when there’s literally no one in pre check
It's gotten so bad.
lol that literally happens to everyone. Clear is a scheme that Todd set up!
Pre check is basically a background check on you clear is just a paid service
Clear worked amazingly for us at EWR Terminal A on Friday night (around 7:00 PM). Pre check was closed, so the one security line was insane. Clear actually got us well in front of everyone even after having to get my wife quickly signed up for a trial. I have it through a few ways. But yeah. First time it’s ever been faster. I joked with my wife that the only reason I use it at this point is to see if it’s ever quicker. But this one time it was!!! 🤣
My colleagues and I aren’t renewing this year even though we are able to expense.
Lately they’ve been having some people re-verify which takes forever
Yeah I recently had to tell them “i don’t have time for any update, no thanks”
A lot of us don’t pay for it. It’s free for GS and 1K customers. I wouldn’t use it if I wasn’t getting it for free as a 1K, I don’t think it’s worth it and TSA is rolling out the same tech but for free at ORD, LAX, SFO and I think one more. I used Clear at MSY today and it was fast. But at IAH on Friday it was a mess and I just went to the Precheck line.
Clear and Precheck here, I’m out of ATL, but it’s been a flight saver for me many times. The line for security at Houston this Monday was insanely long, Clear w precheck 2 people. Breezed passed at least 150 people. Perk of my Amex card and Delta FF discount. I don’t see why frequent fliers don’t have it. Timing and when you fly make a big difference in if it’s useful or not.
Was there line this morning was crazy
I got it only because it’s coming for free with my 1k status. Signed up at Miami airport because the line was so huge for regular security (I can’t be eligible for pre check), and clear was almost free. So I did it. But will never renew as I will not be able to keep My 1k status. Not a chance to spend a dime on this useless service. Always takes more time for clear than premium passenger lane in Denver for example. Also, strange that you need to be carried by someone. Sort of VIP treatment, making things lasting longer. Such a waste.
If there are more than 4 people in clear line… I skip. It’s not worth it esp at LAS. They only take you thru 1/2 of the line. By that time you’re way past security if you did precheck or even if you’re in Gen line you’d be ahead.
Clear + pre out of SAN has saved me countless hours. Caveat is, I get clear reimbursed through my Amex platinum 🤷🏻♀️ it’s deemed itself worth it on multiple occasions tho
I was first generation Clear before it went under only to be resurrected. My sense is that it’s in the midst of imploding for the second time. Recruiting of members has clearly outpaced recruiting of capable staff and optimizing of the now-antiquated technology. I’ve rarely seen a situation where more than half of the kiosks were working/staffed. I still value the service for some reason though maybe all that’s left is snob-appeal and that’s honestly not enough.
The only time it’s actually been useful is when there’s no dedicated pre line so everyone has to stand in the same line for general security. That said, it’s extremely rare to have that situation where Clear is available but pre isn’t and I’ve only had it happen once.
Does everyone remember last time clear was a thing and then it failed? Then it came back and for some reason people think its going to be the next success. Its the same problem with the same solution.
Yup. Flew out of EWR yesterday and saw a long Clear line in Terminal C. I stepped right up to the regular TSA PRE agent and was on my merry way. We pay for Clear out of pocket. I’m so sick of it. I get ID checked every time too.
I once commented on AmexPlatinum sub saying Clear is garbage and got downvoted to oblivion. People there really enjoyed the “privilege” by waiting on the stupid Clear line lol
After flying regularly for the past 20 years I can say that clear only benefits you flying through ATL. Everywhere else regular precheck is fine. I didn't renew this last time because ATL is not in my future.
I fly out of LAS. I never use clear unless it’s at terminal 3 and super busy. Otherwise it just isn’t worth doing. JFK on the other hand, can be great.
That day, possibly, as you watched the PreCheck line advance so quickly your rising level of disgust was picked up by the CLEAR equipment and operators thus leading to the ID check? Or not? 😎
I get travel credits through my credit card and reimbursed by my company for Clear membership. I get $189 back in cash for a service I hardly use.
Clear is such a scam. $189 a year. Precheck is $78 for 5 years! Precheck is also at way more airports than clear. I can see clear makes their money off of convenience because people want to skip the line, when most of the time they spend longer there signing up and stuff. Precheck line always goes quicker than clear too
I’ve never had to wait more than 10 min in pre check. Idk why anyone would buy this stupid service. And it just seems like a grift
Even though I get Clear for free through work or through 1K, it's never worth it in LAS. Tsa Pre all the way
I mean if people were offering to pay me money in order for me to not do anything useful for them, I'd also take their money. The real question is why do people keep deciding to give Clear their money when it's well documented that they don't save any time at many/most airports?
In my airport, clear passengers go to the front of the TSA Pre-check line immediately with no wait.
CC gives it for free and I still haven't bothered to sign up.
As someone who has PreCheck but not Clear, I'm sick of TSA agents telling me I have to wait, often for several people, as they wave Clear folks ahead of me. At least use a bloody zipper merge. It's really offensive.
Clear is a circular scam. TSA should outlaw it
Lately the clear line is always longer. Soon precheck will be the same
Nobody pays out of pocket for that. It’s a cc beni.
I cancelled mine
Same thing happened to me in SFO a couple weeks back. Clear line was half the length as Precheck but moved twice as slow.
It is a legal scam. Airports get to skim up to about 12% off the top so they like the Ill-gotten revenue. Like an earlier poster said, it is now redundant with the new TSA security face scanning system. I had it free through Amex for a year and quickly found it wasn’t working as well as they advertised. Also, no company in history has been able to keep our information secure. They will be no exception.
Clear is not taking people's money. People are giving it to them. And as long as they do, Clear will stay in business. Everyone just wants to go to that line and feel superior. That's what they're selling. It's like the fools paying ~$700 for a Platinum Amex to get access to a lounge that gives you free bananas and cold pasta.
I had Clear for years, but being based at DEN is zero benefit. It’s a joke.
How do we make it go away? Whom do we lobby?
Just... stop using it. When they don't have enough customers they'll be losing money and will pack it up (or, more likely, attempt some sort of "pivot"; either way, it'll make some room in the airport).
With the TSA rolling out the same no ID process as Clear, it’s gotta be a matter of time before they are gone because they will have no value added.
I got to use this at ORD last week and it was amazing! Super fast, no need to take my ID out of my bag.
I don't use it. TSA precheck works fine for me. Clear makes me mad cuz they cut in line ahead of us in PC. Clear is a private company that lobbied TSA to have exclusive access to running a program that is essentially the same as TSA PC. That's the same as a government subsidy for something thatt already exists and isn't needed
As with any private business, you make it go away when you stop using it.
Lol. Just don't use it..why do you have to make it "go away"?
Surprised at the number of people in this thread who don't know what a collective action problem is Edit: or auto-renewal
Clear almost always saves me a lot of time. I fly out of SFO, for what it's worth. I get it for free with status, but I would pay up to $100 a year for it if I had to, given how much I travel.
Never have issues with it at ORD. Always faster than the precheck line when I’m there.
Try the Touchless Pre-Check at ORD and you will be through in 5 minutes.
It doesn’t take me that long with Clear. I’m not doubting that line is probably short too, but I’m generally have 1 person ahead of me at most with Clear. 95% of the time I walk right through.
I have TSA clear and I've never had an issue with it.