JFK OFFERS FASTER SCREENING, BUT WILL KEEP YOUR BIOMETRIC AND IRIS DATA FOREVER!

Travelers at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport may clear security in minutes under a Transportation Security Administration-approved program that expedites the normal screening process.

Clear Registered Traveler allows passengers to use special speed lanes, forego secondary screening with handheld scanners and keep their shoes on. Users pay about $100 in fees and undergo criminal background checks and iris and fingerprint scans for a one-year membership in Clear, which is owned by closely held Verified Identity Pass Inc.

Travelers on airlines at JFK’s Terminal 7, such as British Airways Plc, US Airways Group Inc. and UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, are now able to pass through security in less than 4 minutes compared with as much as 45 minutes in standard lines, Clear Chief Executive Officer Steven Brill said.

“It’s like the E-ZPass system,” Brill said, referring to the system that speeds vehicles through toll booths. “It creates a predictable experience at the airport which, after Sept. 11, has been anything but predictable.”

The program started today at JFK’s Terminal 7, which also is used by airlines including Air Canada, Cathay Pacific Airways and Qantas Airways. It will be available within the next month at JFK’s Terminal 1, Indianapolis International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and San Jose Mineta International Airport in California.

Orlando International Airport in Florida has used Clear since June 2005 and is now profitable with more than 30,000 registered members, Brill said. The company has a 90 percent annual renewal rate in Orlando, he said.

`It’s The Anxiety’

One passenger on his way from New York to San Francisco to see his daughter walked to Clear’s airport sign-up counter immediately after hearing about the program today.

“I have a titanium shoulder, so I have to get that checked every time,” said Louis Polk, 77, who’s retired and travels regularly. “I hate to go through all the security. It’s not the wait, it’s the anxiety.”

Clear’s biometric card system and shoe scanner may reduce wait times by as much as 45 minutes on busy days, Brill said. He said the biggest benefit was “it will make it predictable.”

Verified is one of four companies selected by the TSA for its Registered Traveler expedited passenger-screening program. Brill said he expects to enroll as much as 40 percent of what he estimates to be a total U.S. market of about 9 million people.

Clear also has been selected to operate at Toronto Pearson International Airport, and expects to announce agreements with other U.S. airports, according to its Web site.

Personal Kiosk

Clear members step onto a personal kiosk that resembles an oversized treadmill. After their membership card is inserted, the machine scans eyes or fingerprints to confirm the user matches the passenger on record.

The kiosk then scans the member’s shoes, printing a receipt of approval to continue through a normal metal scanner. If two pending processes receive government approval, customers also may wear jackets during screening and keep personal computers in their bags, Brill said.

Each kiosk costs about $150,000 to $200,000, and the system costs about $2 million an airport, Brill said. Clear enrolled 1,500 New Yorkers before today and expects to double that number this week, he said.

The Homeland Security Department promises to keep the data for an unspecified amount of time, Brill said.

ARE YOU WILLING TO GIVE UP YOUR IRIS AND BIOMETRIC DATA TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR PERMANENT STORAGE?

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