As a security consultant I do quite a bit of travel for my job. It’s
something I enjoy immensely, but standing in airport security lines can
quickly taint the experience.
For this reason I’ve looked into the various ways to speed up going
through airport security, and I’ve captured and given some input on a
few of the options below:
Clear

Clear is a great option if you live in
either San Francisco or Orlando. San Francisco is my home airport, so
it’s definitely on my list of musts.
How It Works
Clear is a private company that screens applicants and issues a
specialized identification card with biometric (retina scan) information
on it. Participating airports have a completely separate line for Clear
travelers, and you simply go to the attendant, show your card,
authenticate with a finger print, and you get taken to the front of the
security line.
Participating Airports
Right now only a few airports are doing Clear: Orlando, San Francisco,
Denver, and Dallas/Ft. Worth.
Enrollment Procedure
Enrollment in Clear leverages pre-existing authentication–namely your
passport and another type of official identification, e.g. driver’s
license, state ID, military ID, etc.
Cost
The cost is $179 a year, and it’s only $50 to add someone else onto your account.
Comments
This is the system I have the most experience with and I absolutely love
it. It does get a bit uncomfortable, however, when the regular line is
a massive maze of nearly a hundred people, and you just walk to the
front within seconds. The attendant even asks you how many bins you need
and walks you right to the belt themselves. Minus the feelings of guilt
(which are coupled with relief), it’s a great experience.
TSA PreCheck

The TSA’s PreCheck program works much differently from Clear in that it is more “official” and less predictable in its operation. It already enjoys far more adoption at airports (with more being added constantly), but the process of getting into the system and actually using it is somewhat nebulous.
How It Works
First of all, you have to be invited to even be able to apply. You’ll
receive some sort of invite from one of your carriers (my invite came
from United where I have elite status) and they’ll send you to the TSA
site to apply.
This is where it gets interesting: rather than tell you you got in or
didn’t get in, you instead are told to just go the TSA Booth at the
airport when you arrive for your flight, and when you scan your ticket
they’ll tell you if you can go to the Expidited Screening line.
If you are cleared for this, here are the advantages:
- You won’t have to remove your shoes
- You won’t have to remove a 3-1-1 bag from carry-on
- You won’t have to remove your laptop
- You can keep a light jacket on
- You can keep your belt on
An interesting key to this is that the security information is
integrated into the barcode on your ticket, i.e. there’s no external bit
like with Clear, which I think is a major advantage.
What’s a bit strange, but understandable, about the system is that
there’s no such concept as pre-approved. You can’t tell from your ticket
if you’re approved or not, which makes sense given that it’d be a major
security flaw if that were the case. But this means that every time you
go up to the desk you could go to the fast lane or get sent to the back
of the regular line. You don’t ever know beforehand.
It’s obvious why this is done, but it does create unpredictability,
which is precisely what we’re trying to eliminate by taking the security
line out of the equation.
Participating Airports
PreCheck enjoys decent adoption at this point, with the following airports participating.
Enrollment Procedure
As mentioned above, enrollment is invite-based and comes from the
airlines themselves. Look in your mail (don’t forget junk mail) for
something tagged as TSA and PreCheck.
Cost
There is no cost for this program, as it’s basically an extension of
the TSA’s regular rules. They’re essentially trying to make things more
efficient and improve the perception of the TSA in the same way that
they did with relaxing the rules on younger and older people with
roughly the same lighter screening options.
Comments
I’m already signed up for this system although I’ve not yet used it. I
feel like there is every reason to sign up for it, but if I go to an
airport that has both Clear and PreCheck, I’ll be using Clear. Why?
Because it’s truly a pre-screening that’s guaranteed to get me through
the line very quickly. The TSA model is still subject to their
algorithms and (likely) glitches that are less likely to affect Clear.
Global Entry

Global Entry is another
U.S. Government system designed to expedite travel through airport
security, but it’s oriented around international travel rather than
domestic. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Customs and Border
Protection division of Homeland Security.
How It Works
With Global Entry, users can self-authenticate using hand/fingerprint
machines that allow them to bypass the security line.
Participating Airports
The number of airports is pretty decent for this program.
Enrollment Procedure
Enrollment is done by submitting an application to the program via online form or snail mail.
Cost
There is a $100 application fee, but the program itself is free because,
just as with PreCheck, the concept is actually an extension of standard
security procedures for low-risk travelers.
Comments
I’ve not used this system yet, but I am going to go ahead and apply so
that I have the option to get through line faster when traveling
internationally as well.
Summary and Recommendations
- If you frequently fly out of one of the Clear airports, definitely
get a Clear card
- Look out for an invite into the PreCheck program from your preferred
airline
- If you do any amount of international travel, consider applying for
Global Entry as well
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