It's no secret that commercial air travel is one of the great modern hassles. Cramped seats, lousy and overpriced food, baggage mishandling, ever-fluctuating ticket prices, screaming babies, winding counter lines, sluggish security checks, the inevitable four-hour flight delay; all these inconveniences and more await the prospective frequent flier, making hitchhiking seem more and more appealing as the difficulties amass. One company, after years of development and regulatory maneuvering, is trying to improve the Sisyphean ordeal by implementing an expedited security process.

The company is Verified Identity Pass and their system is Clear, a process of preliminary passenger scanning that "clears" select travelers prior to their arrival at the airport. Once at the airport, these travelers use their personalized Clear card to bypass the usual security lines, instead passing through a specialized security area. Although Clear clients and their carry-on bags are still required to undergo the same X-ray and metal detector checks as the general public, the diminished number of Clear travelers theoretically ensures that the process moves smoother and faster than preexisting security checks, as the long lines of the "standard" security lanes are bypassed.

Before receiving a Clear card, a prospective traveler must undergo a comprehensive screening process at one of Clear's 26 enrollment stations. Only after an in-person registration requiring two forms of I.D., fingerprint and iris scans, and a government-conducted background check does one receive approval.  According to Clear, the decision to grant clearance takes two to four weeks. The card costs $99.95 annually (28 dollars of it goes to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for their assistance), and works at any of Clear's airport locations.

Though Verified Identity Pass opened their first security station in January 2007, the company has been operating since 2003, when founder Steven Brill first announced his intentions to fast-track the scanning process. Between 2004 and 2005, TSA developed its own fast-tracking process called Registered Traveler. When TSA announced their decision to allow private companies to compete for airport contracts, companies like Verified Identity Pass adopted the Registered Traveler system.

Although airport personnel are responsible for viewing the Clear cards, TSA runs the background checks needed to issue the cards. It's worth noting that, according to Clear's privacy policy, the TSA holds onto the client's security information, performing continuous reviews. And because the TSA operates under the Department of Homeland Security, other federal agencies will have the same access to your information, a consideration many Big Brother-wary fliers may want to take.  

After years of bureaucratic entanglement, Clear appears to have achieved a market berth and is easily the largest and most successful of the companies vying for a piece of the Registered Traveler pie. Clear currently runs in 13 airport locations nationwide, but for only a select period of the day (most locations shut down through the late-night hours). Airports in San Francisco, San Jose, Reno, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Orlando, Newark, New York (JFK and LaGuardia), Westchester, Albany and Little Rock currently run Clear security lanes. Plans for further expansion are underway; soon, we will see Clear security lanes opening in Atlanta, Denver and Washington D.C. (Reagan and Dulles).

It remains to be seen whether Clear will meet the needs of the consumer as the system gains in popularity. $99.95 is a nominal fee for most frequent fliers, and if it really speeds up the scanning process as much as the company claims, it won't be long before we see customers flocking to the Clear lanes in droves.

Logically, one could assume that this would simply clog the Clear lanes in much the same way that the regular security checkpoints are now, but Clear Public Relations Officer Cindy Rosenthal says the system is akin to the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system in the Northeast: "When [E-ZPass] first started out, there was only one lane that would accept the passes, but as it grew in popularity, more and more lanes had the option available. In the same way, we hope Clear will expand to include more passengers and more security lanes, so that everyone benefits from quicker lines."

A loophole in that reasoning is that an E-ZPass allows cars to move through tolls without stopping to pay and wait for change.  Holding a clear pass does not guarantee a traveler the right to speed through a metal detector without unloading pockets and removing shoes.  It simply moves customers willing to pay more to the front of the line-something frequent flier programs already do.  The only unique benefit of the program is in its ability to increase the database of fingerprints and retina scans, though people who willingly submit the information are far less likely to be convicted of a crime down the road.