TSA Updates Policy: CLEAR Members Exempt from Showing ID

The whole idea of the airport CLEAR program was to provide security clearance ahead of time and cut down on the wait time at the airport security checkpoints.

For those that fly often, the fee was nominal.

But then someone in the program was able to carry on live ammunition through the airport and the TSA decided to investigate.

Now the government agency is backing off, according to a report from the Washington Post. The TSA will not require all members of the CLEAR program to produce identification after it had threatened to do so.

Apparently, the TSA was satisfied that the program fired its employees and the manager for breaking protocol in the incident. The program, which is active in about 50 airports nationwide, is run by a private security firm.

In a formal letter to CLEAR, the TSA said it would require a smaller portion of CLEAR members to show ID.

The two-year-old incident prompted TSA to start randomly selecting members of the program for further identification. While it is a noble idea for further scrutiny to protect our airports, the whole idea of the program was to pre-qualify members.