Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Travel

These frequent travelers could face additional TSA security screening at the airport

Clear travelers are not going to be happy about this airport security change

Dannielle Beardsley
By
Airport security barriers with long line in background
Bignal/Shutterstock

We all know waiting in the airport security line takes the most time and is the bulk of our wait when traveling. You start taking off belts and shoes while moving in line to get yourself ready to get through the checkpoint as fast as possible. Or you could pay for the perk of skipping the line whenever you fly, with memberships from places that let you jump ahead, and not have to worry about the wait. But if you did spring for one specific program, your travel plans might just get disrupted.

According to the Washington Post, because of an incident last summer, a growing number of Clear Plus members will face one more step in their screening process — having their ID checked by a TSA agent. And, while right now, TSA is only increasing its random checks, the agency reportedly plans to require verification of IDs of all Registered Traveler participants — like Clear members — at some point in the future.

David Tran Photo/Shutterstock

The details about the Clear membership

  • Your eyes or fingerprints are all you need.
  • Pay $189 a year for the service
  • Lots of ways to get it free
Recommended Videos

If you travel a lot, you want anything to help you get through airport security faster. Clear is a platform that expedites the process when you get to the airport. For a fee (monthly or yearly), you do quite a bit of legwork upfront with things like getting facial recognition and your personal identity set up through them, but then you have access to airports and sports venues without worrying about things like that security line.

At the airport, you check in at a Clear pod using a biometric scanner, and then a Clear agent escorts you to the front of the TSA security line. (You still have to go through the physical screening, but you get to take an express straight to the bag check and body scanner.)

Is the service worth it for the $189 price? That depends on how often you fly and how often you go to sports venues. If that price makes you balk, though, there are many ways to get it cheaper (or for free). Ask your credit card company or airline rewards program for details about discounts for Clear.

Why Clear isn’t so crystal anymore

Like most changes in our security measures, an attempted breach caused the changes. In July 2022, someone flying with fraudulent identification was stopped and prevented from boarding a flight. 

Now, an additional ID check could be needed to validate a Clear member’s identity. That might not seem like a lot, but a TSA spokesperson also told One Mile At A Time that this will eventually go into effect for all members of Registered Traveler programs like Clear: “All Registered Traveler participants will be required to present ID, whether physical or digital, to TSA’s Credential Authentication Technology (CAT), with the timeline for implementation to be determined.”

TSA’s CAT offers a significant security enhancement. According to the TSA, CAT units verify the authenticity of identification credentials and can detect fake IDs; verify the boarding status and screening status of passengers; and second-generation CAT units verify that the captured image of the person at the checkpoint is the same person pictured on the ID.

Airport security agent searching a female passenger's carry-on bag with a dog nearby.
CDC/Unsplash

What this means for flyers

For people who don’t use Clear, nothing changes. For some Clear members, the process will stay exactly the same (for now). But for Clear members who get chosen for an ID check? There’s going to be an extra added hassle before you finally get through that security screening. TSA hasn’t said exactly how many Clear members will now be subject to that extra ID check, so time will tell if it will be enough for us to notice even busier lines and longer wait times.

We’ll also have to see when TSA begins to implement this for all Registered Traveler participants. Clear members make up 10% of travelers through 52 airports that participate in their program, meaning it’s more than a few people that TSA agents will have to verify. A Clear spokesperson told Insider that the company is working with TSA on new digital identity technology to keep the process touchless for its members. How much this change will affect air travelers will be determined by both of those timelines.

Editors' Recommendations

Dannielle Beardsley
Dannielle Beardsley
Contributor
Dannielle has written for various websites, online magazines, and blogs. She loves everything celebrity and her favorite…
U.S. Virgin Islands escape: See why St. John is America’s not-so-best-kept tropical island secret
Some of the world's most stunning beaches are right here in the U.S. No passport required
Tiny islands of Trunk Bay off the shore of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Even if you’ve been to the U.S. Virgin Islands, until you’ve set foot on St. John, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. This postage-stamp-size speck of land just east of St. Thomas is among the smallest developed islands in the Caribbean. With few roads, near-zero chain businesses of any kind, and the vast majority of land designated as a U.S. National Park, it feels a thousand miles from anywhere. Here are just a few of the best places to eat, play, and stay in one of America’s best tropical island destinations, St. John, USVI.

What to do on St. John, USVI
The Caribbean is home to some of the world’s most stunning beaches, and St. John alone is home to many of them. Pick up a dirt-cheap Jeep rental in Cruz Bay and spend the day exploring the island’s North Shore through Virgin Islands National Park, where every beach seems even more incredible than the last. From east to west, you’ll find Maho Bay, Cinnamon Bay and finally, Trunk Bay. The latter is staggeringly beautiful: Soft, white flour sand, impossibly turquoise water, and the best snorkeling spots in the U.S., with an underwater snorkel trail to boot.

Read more
You still have time to plan a Labor Day weekend trip: 10 fantastic spots
Make Labor Day travel fun with these stellar destinations
The beach at Pismo Beach, California.

It’s wild to think of how quickly summer flies by every year. Yet while the summer travel season starts to wind down and we wonder where the summer went, we still have Labor Day Weekend to plan one more exciting and refreshing summer trip. We know that making summer vacation plans isn't everyone's cup of tea, so we’re going out of our way to point out the destinations where you can escape the most maddening Labor Day weekend crowds without completely breaking the bank.

Now that summer is about to come to a close, here are some great ideas on where you can go to enjoy one last gasp of summer warmth. Here's your last chance to discover your new favorite beaches, explore some great outdoor markets, sport your warm-weather hiking attire, find your perfect spot on the lake, and simply soak up the extra hours of sunshine.

Read more
Puerto Escondido travel guide: Where to stay, where to eat, and more
Your guide to the bohemian beach town of Puerto Escondido
Party at Zicatela Beach in Puerto Escondido.

Located on the southern Pacific coast of Mexico, Puerto Escondido rapidly became one of the world’s hottest surfing destinations over the past decade or so. With its gorgeous beaches, vibrant nightlife, and relative affordability, it’s not hard to see why. It’s the sort of place you go surfing, swim, and take in the sun with a margarita in hand by day, then party late into the night. It also has plenty of opportunities to experience the charming culture of coastal Oaxaca.

With its population clocking in at under 50,000, Puerto Escondido isn’t a big place, but it offers plenty of fun and sun. Whether you’re looking for watersports, wildlife, fiestas, and festivities, or simply to relax on the beach, the town has something for everyone.

Read more