Monday, June 22, 2009

'Clear' Shuts Down Registered Traveler Lanes


Benet Wilson writes on the Aviation Week "Things With Wings" Blog:

Verified Identity Pass’s Clear registered traveler lanes, located at 20 airports, are shutting down at 11:00 p.m. Pacific time tonight.

The company web site was blank except for a white page with the official statement and no calls were returned. Clear said it was “unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations.”

Orlando International Airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said they had not received notice until late this afternoon via email that Clear was ceasing operations. "We haven't had time to evaluate the impact or get further information," she said.

The pilot program was rolled out with great fanfare July 18, 2005, in Orlando. Travelers initially paid $99 a year for a card that was supposed to target those who posed a minimum security risk, and give them a special line that would process them through airport security more quickly.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was slow to release the program from the pilot phase, finally giving the green light to roll out the program in January 2007. The program hit a snag after TSA halted the use of GE SRT kiosks designed to serve as a shoe scanner and explosives detection system, blunting one of the program’s key benefits – allowing passengers to keep on shoes and jackets, and keep laptop computers in their bags.

More here.

Hat-tip: techdirt.com

1 Comments:

At Tue Jun 23, 06:00:00 AM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Upset about this? Call the VC behind it who made sure the company marketed multi-year contracts to unsuspecting consumers up until the day that it shut down.

Spark Capital
137 Newbury St.
8th Floor
Boston, MA 02116

Phone: 617.830.2000
Fax: 617.830.2001

www.sparkcapital.com

 

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