Speeding through Security


Waiting in line for hours at the airport can put a damper on any vacation. However, GoNOMAD writer Jessica Taryn investigates one way we can speed up this process and get to our travel destinations faster in her article Clear Pass Membership Cuts Down on Airport Waiting Time.

“Everyone is sick of waiting in lines at the airport, but we all want optimal security measures taken to make sure we are safe when we fly. So what is the solution? A company called Verified Identity Pass, Inc. thinks they may have found it, and Orlando International Airport agrees.

The Clear Membership allows frequent travelers to be pre-screened, issued a Clear Member’s card, which they then scan in the Clear Lane at the airport, and within seconds their fingerprints and iris images are matched to those embedded in their card and they are free to proceed, significantly minimizing time spent in security lines.

Having begun operations in July 2005, VIP Inc. now has 13,000 Clear Members. Each member has filled out an application, which is available online, and has submitted two acceptable forms of identification, including a photo ID.

The applicants submitted all fingerprints, both iris images, and their applications along with their biometrics to the US government’s Transportation Security Administration, which is a unit of the Department of Homeland Security. The TSA then performed “Security Threat Assessments” and approved their applications.

Once approved, the member received his or her Smart Card in the mail, which can be activated by phone, at a local kiosk or in person at the airport. Cindy Rosenthal, director of public relations and marketing at Verified Identity Pass, Inc. says that the entire process from the time you fill out the application until the time you receive your membership card should be about two to four weeks. The company tries to make the process as easy as possible for potential members.”