Should first class passengers get a shorter line at security?

by Grant Martin on

In Boston’s Logan international airport, I recently witnessed a meltdown in the security line. A first class passenger was livid — furious because ordinary passengers were being directed into the shorter, elite x-ray lane by the TSA. For their part, the TSA were indifferent. All passengers are the same, they kept saying, as people shuffled past the ID checkpoint while the first class passenger stewed as he watched his x-ray line double in size.

That’s what first class passengers pay for though, right? Some airports have specific elite lanes, where depending on your paid fare or your elite status you can enjoy a enjoy a shorter wait at the checkpoint. Given the the absurd amounts of money and time that they devote to the airline, shouldn’t they be rewarded with faster passage?

Or, should first class privileges not apply to the security line? In a way, a shorter line at the ID check effectively lets these passengers cut in front of those that aren’t “elite.” That seems to be what these particular TSA agents were thinking — if they had their way, everyone would be in the same line and file through en masse.

What’s your take?

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Clear shutdown means data safe, money not

by Scott Carmichael on

When Clear shut down last week, its 260,000 paying customers were left with 2 big questions – is my personal information safe, and what will happen to the money I spent on the program?

Verified Identity Pass Inc., the company behind the Clear service finally took some time to answer both questions, and one of the answers won’t please Clear customers:

Personal information is safe – all airport kiosks have been wiped clean, and Lockheed Martin (the IT provider for Clear) has started wiping all the databases containing Clear customer data. No customer data will ever be sold, and once the cleaning process is done, there will be no traces of personal information left.

The money people spent on the service is not so safe, as it is all gone. Clear will not be providing any refunds due to their financial situation. People who signed up for the service right before it collapsed can of course take the chargeback route, but customers with months left on a paid subscription are quite simply out of luck.

Travel Alert: Clear Security ceases operation

by Grant Martin on

Just yesterday evening as I passed by the Clear Lane at Boston’s Logan International Airport, I saw my favorite employee and wondered how the business was doing.

The company, designed to allow passengers to pay to get around lengthly security lines, was formed on the concept that enough people would pay for the service to make the operation profitable. Now, it appears that that’s not the case — especially as people are trying to cut back during the recession.

Navigating to flyclear.com, browsers receive the following, solemn message:

“At 11:00 p.m. PST on June 22, 2009, Clear will cease operations. Clear’s parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. has been unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations.”

It’s always sad to see a company fail, but in this case, it seems a bit more personal. Taking part in a review of the service earlier this year I distinctly remember meeting the Logan employees and writing positively about the experience. I wonder what they’ll do now?

Man stopped at airport security for water bottle, but not knife

by Alison Brick on

Priorities, people. Where are they?

A water bottle is what caught the eye of officials, when Adrian Elvy went through the airport security line in Bristol, UK.

But on the other side of security, Elvy was the one to notice that he had also accidentally left a blade in his carry-on bag–a six-inch, stainless steel knife, with serrated edge. He uses it to open boxes for his stock delivery company. Where was the knife found? In the side pocket of the bag.

Elvy even narced on himself, pointing out the knife to a policeman. The police then took the knife from him and asked which x-ray machine it had gone through. (Let’s hope they shut that one down…)

Good news: Elvy got his knife back on the return trip through Bristol. Oh, and a special thanks from a Bristol Airport spokesman “for acting responsibly in bringing the matter to our attention,” who also took the opportunity to “remind all passengers of the need to take care when packing hand baggage.”

[Thanks, Telegraph.co.uk]

Tips on taking young children through the security checkpoint

by Scott Carmichael on

If you plan to fly with a young child this Summer, you may want to watch the video embedded above. It shows the ordeal of a three year old child who was selected for a secondary screening. As is often the case, the TSA shows how not to deal with a child who is obviously scared of what is being done to her.
The video mentions a couple of things you can do to make the experience more relaxing for them. Some of the things I would add are:

  • Be sure to empty their pockets – little kids often add coins and other metal objects to their pockets, so just like you go through your own pockets, do the same for your kid(s).
  • Tell your child that they’ll need to put their teddy, dolly or other comfort item in their bag, taking items like that through the checkpoint will only delay things. Be creative, and tell your child that their teddy needs a checkup. I suggest putting their item in your luggage well before you reach the checkpoint, that way they’ll have a couple of minutes to get used to the idea. Let them know that they can get it back as soon as you reach the other end of the checkpoint.
  • If you do run into a TSA agent that demands to subject your child to a secondary screening, try and make sure you explain to your child what the (bad) man or women is going to do, and if possible, turn it into a fun game.
  • If the TSA agent is clearly being too rough with your child, make some noise, demand a private screening and request a supervisor. Do not accept anyone at the checkpoint that is rough or rude to your child.
  • I would not recommend recording the screening with your mobile phone (like done in the video above) as it may only make matters worse. If something really bad is happening, the TSA supervisor will be able to review their own video material.