Clear is stupid. We shouldn’t allow a private company to make money simply by making a government function less efficient.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Last time I was at DCA the Clear line was way longer than the TSA-Pre line. We are TSA-Pre and got to the front of the line before the Clear folks who joined the line at the same time were only halfway to the front of their line.

So this opens up an opportunity for another private start up company called "Ultra Clear". When you pay for "ultra clear" you will get to go to the head of the "Clear line".

I know someone who started the "clear" business and he is making a ton of money so I think "Ultra Clear" would rake it in.

Isn't America great?

No that naming is wrong. It's going to be Clear Diamond.

I think it will be “Crystal Clear.”

Damn it that's good.

Anonymous wrote:I always assumed the government was supportive of clear as a developer/expediter and to slowly make it acceptable to use biometric data for all of us someday as a way to get through airport security. Fine with me.

This is happening with the Digital ID program. I inadvertently signed up for this and now they just scan my face or eyeballs or whatever at security.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Last time I was at DCA the Clear line was way longer than the TSA-Pre line. We are TSA-Pre and got to the front of the line before the Clear folks who joined the line at the same time were only halfway to the front of their line.

So this opens up an opportunity for another private start up company called "Ultra Clear". When you pay for "ultra clear" you will get to go to the head of the "Clear line".

I know someone who started the "clear" business and he is making a ton of money so I think "Ultra Clear" would rake it in.

Isn't America great?

No that naming is wrong. It's going to be Clear Diamond.

I think it will be “Crystal Clear.”

I read the article, they just want to move it out of view of the regular people not eliminate it.

There is an efficiency argument for a service like clear (like govt toll roads).
Some people don’t much mind waiting in lines (would rather wait than pay the extra $10 it costs to keep staffing levels higher)
Others would gladly pay $20 to save ten minutes (I’m in this camp).
It doesn’t have to be a private company offering this service, but private companies offer services to government all the time (who builds roads, not govt employees).
Airlines do pay fees to cover costs of tsa pre check.
All that said I think a great outcome would be that clear pays for its own lines. Since clear is co-owned by airlines, and airlines pay for tsa, we are already kind of there.

I haven’t read all 5 pages but it does bug me that there is a way to buy your way out of lines and security theater.

If rich business travelers and politicians had to put up with the stupidity of waiting in long lines and taking off your shoes I bet things would get better/more sensible.