Security Breach Alert: CLEAR Passengers May Experience Travel Delays

The Transportation Security Administration(TSA) is requiring some CLEAR members to have their IDs checked ahead of screening in the wake of an undisclosed security incident last summer.

According to a report by The Washington Post, an increasing number of CLEAR members will need to have their IDs checked by a TSA officer to verify their identity.

That will add another step to what is supposed to be a seamless process for members, who pay $189 a year. Typically members confirm their identity by having their eyes or fingerprints scanned at CLEAR kiosks before being escorted to the front of the TSA screening line.

“TSA is responsible for ensuring that all systems and programs, including those provided by private companies, meet requisite standards and will take necessary steps to ensure security needs are met,” the agency said in a statement. “Accurate and reliable verification of passenger identity is foundational to aviation security and effective screening by TSA.”

In its own statement, CLEAR said it “will continue to deliver the superior and secure experience that travelers know, love and depend on.” According to CLEAR spokeswoman Annabel Walsh, the July 2022 security incident in question was “the result of human error that the company addressed immediately.”

Clear processes more than 10 percent of travelers at the 52 airports participating in the expedited program.