Airport service lets ‘the rich person pass you’ in line, bill backers say

A pair of California state senators from opposing parties have joined together to propose a bill, the first of its kind in the nation, that critics say would eliminate the expedited security screening service CLEAR from airports. But, proponents say that CLEAR would simply need to change its method of operation to retain its presence in California.

The bill, spearheaded by Democratic state Sen. Josh Newman and Republican state Sen. Janet Nguyen, takes aim at the current practice of what is being labeled “line cutting” by CLEAR members, who are allowed to bypass the usual TSA screening queues for a fee.

The service allows passengers to skip to the front of the line after their identity is verified at a CLEAR kiosk; but, unlike TSA Precheck, its does not expedite the actual TSA checkpoint screening process. So, effectively, CLEAR members are holding up those who have been standing in line because they haven’t spent the extra money.

Both senators, who frequently fly between their Southern California districts and Sacramento, have expressed frustration at CLEAR’s “pay-to-play” model, which they argue gives an unfair advantage to those who can afford to pay the annual fee of $189, while those who can’t afford it languish longer in TSA security lines.

“The least you can expect when you have to go through the security line at the airport is that you don’t suffer the indignity of somebody pushing you out of the way to let the rich person pass you,” Newman, who co-created the bill, told Politico.

Although certain industry groups are opposing the measure — mainly airlines for whom the CLEAR program generates revenue — others are backing the new bill, including flight attendants and TSA agents, who are affronted by the notion that passengers can pay to cut in front of everyone else.

James Mudrock, president of AFGE Local 1230, wrote in a letter to Senate Transportation Committee chair Dave Cortese that CLEAR is “nothing more than the luxury resale of upcharge of space in the airport security queue, where those who pay can skip the line at the direct expense of every other traveler.”

In a letter of support for the bill, Sarah Nelson, head of the flight attendants’ union, expressed concern about the security protocols CLEAR relies on, stating that the service “doesn’t add any enhanced layer of security.” She said that the proposed legislation would “restore equal access and treatment at the airport security checkpoint.”

Newman and Nguyen’s bill would require CLEAR — and any other third-party vendors who might adopt the same business model — to establish and operate its own TSA security lane in order to continue operating at the nine California airports where it currently has a presence. But, critics say that it’s simply unrealistic to expect the TSA to dedicate officers to a special airport security screening lane, which would require federal approval to fund and operate, since the TSA is a federal agency.

Major airlines Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue and Hawaiian intend to battle the bill, pointing to revenue loss that they said causes airfare prices to go up. Neither California Gov. Gavin Newsom nor Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire were willing to comment on the measure.

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