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I was in Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) last week to review the new Delta Air Lines Sky Club near gate G18.
When I approached one of Terminal 1’s two security checkpoints, an airport contractor helping direct traffic said to a group of us, “Don’t use the CLEAR line — you’ll regret it.”
Sounds pretty ominous, right?
I assumed she meant the line to use CLEAR was longer than the TSA PreCheck’s. That was the situation when I flew from Los Angles International Airport (LAX) the previous day. I waited several minutes to get “CLEAR”ed before being escorted past the PreCheck lectern.
Sure enough, I waited an extra few minutes at MSP in the CLEAR line — while the TSA PreCheck queue alongside us zipped past.
Do I regret using the CLEAR line (as I had been warned)? Nah. I wasn’t in a big hurry. I missed an extra few minutes of lounge time. Life went on.
But this isn’t just a one-off (or two-off, as it were). I’ve experienced this a couple of times at Harry Reid Las Vegas International Airport (LAS). In my experience there, it’s often faster to skip CLEAR and head directly into the TSA PreCheck line.
A Growing Trend?
Just like TSA PreCheck, the secret’s out about CLEAR: it can be a great tool to help speed you through security. I see far more people using CLEAR now than I did pre-pandemic.
CLEAR’s network has expanded to more airports (and stadiums) across the country. The added exposure surely helped the company add new customers.
Plus, some of the new customers might be a result of three American Express cards that come with CLEAR benefits.
The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, and American Express® Green Card members can receive up to $199 in statement credits each calendar when using their respective card to pay for an annual CLEAR Plus membership. (Enrollment is required and terms apply. All information related to the American Express® Green Card was collected independently by Eye of the Flyer and was neither reviewed nor provided by the card issuer.)
So, if you have one of those cards, why not get CLEAR — when an annual membership costs $199?
Plus, airlines such as Delta offer discounts to their loyalty program and co-branded credit card members.
I noticed that CLEAR usually has only four or five biometric-reading kiosks in airports. Plus, it takes manpower to monitor the CLEAR line, operate the kiosk, verify customers’ identities, then escort them to their appropriate security line. The identification process is generally much faster at TSA PreCheck. If CLEAR had more kiosks and employees, it would likely improve. But one can hardly fault them when space and employees aren’t exactly easy to come by.
CLEAR is a great bet when the PreCheck line is long. But again, I’m starting to see faster PreCheck lanes than CLEAR.
What is your experience with CLEAR vs. TSA PreCheck lane speeds?
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Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I actually find that Clear is faster than Pre-Check at many airports, like Detroit and Orlando. With many airports, both big and small, receiving within the last year the new-ish TSA checkpoint scanning machines that no longer require passengers to remove items from their bags, the big advantage of Pre-Check and Clear is no longer there. I refuse to pay for Pre-Check. I get Clear free of charge because of my status.
And by the way, Las Vegas still has a first-class line. That’s always quicker.
Wouldn’t one of your credit cards cover the Pre-Check enrollment fee? Just curious.
My understanding was CLEAR was just a way to skip the line. If you wanted to keep your shoes on and not remove liquids, you’d have to get CLEAR and TSAPrecheck. Which seems redundant and CLEAR is more expensive. No?
Precheck allows for different screening than normal. Clear performs the ID check allowing you to skip the TSA ID check. You’ll notice two lines to get through TSA security; regular and PreCheck. Each of these has two components; the first one being the ID check, the second actual screening. Clear let’s you go in front of the first line and right to the second one as appropriate of if you have PreCheck or not.
Love clear in the sense it makes pre line faster by keeping the suckers, who bought into providing high corporate profits, congregated elsewhere. Yes, clear is amazing awesome, get more to sign up.
I have used Clear since 2009. Never had any issues.
This article is obviously patronizing a paying client, Delta. I lacks objectivity.
How does my post patronize Delta? When you say “a paying client,” are you pointing out that Delta owns part of CLEAR? Or are you insinuating that Delta is somehow paying me?
Precheck only costs $20/year if you get it with Global Entry, so it’s not even comparable to $189/year for CLEAR. If you are considering either, get PreCheck first and consider CLEAR second.
In my experience, if you have PreCheck, also having CLEAR will save you between zero and 3 minutes. Maybe 5 min max. It’s hardly worth it.
I would never pay for Clear if AMEX didn’t comp the fee. My experience in the vast majority of situations is like yours. TSA is just as fast. Coupled with the fact that Clear is not at my home airport CLT, makes it a no brainer.
I have CLEAR and TSA, fly from SFO four times a month for the last 6 years or so it takes me 3 max 5 minutes to go through the line. Bottle neck is at the conveyor belt where you drop off your carry on.
At Denver, the clear lines move slower because they put the new bag scanners in the clear lines. These scanners take 4 minutes per bag versus 20 seconds for the old scanners the precheck uses.
Absolutely correct. I have clear and precheck. Precheck is normally faster. Considering cost, clear is NOT worth it. Long lines, slow service and sometimes they are simply closed.
Paying to cut the line doesn’t seem like it is in the public interest. Just another money grab. If waiting for TSA is an issue, how about showing up 5 mins sooner? I’ll never renew my clear. In fact I want my money back. I travel every week and your story is spot on.
Pre-check Clear has never been more than 6 mins for me at PHX since 2018, so it may be your experience is a poor experience at your origin airport. How is it when you return? I think the article should be titled clear at Minneapolis airport is bad, not the service.
Like the writer of this article, I often find myself losing 1-2 minutes once in a while.
I was a bit frustrated when as part of their surveys I mentioned the diminishing value between Clear and TSA pre check and I received a response explaining that Clear and TSA pre check are two different programs. Is this like travelsplaining?
If they don’t start looking for value creation soon, this company might go the way of the Dodos.
I find it quite the opposite. The problem now is all military and govt employee are given precheck as well as all chase members. Precheck alone is getting as bad as the standard line. Adding clear gets you to the front of the precheck as well
Ditto
I’ve had the opposite experience most times I used Clear. Just recently I was flying back from MCO and all security lines were insane (because it’s Orlando and they always are). I was Clear’d in less than a minute and was walked right to the front of the TSA Pre line and had my stuff on the belt in less than 2 minutes. Even the regular TSA Pre line was 50+ people deep.
Not gonna lie, seeing all the jealous glares from all the people waiting in the regular TSA lines as I cut the line is worth the $189/yr. lol But seriously, I think Clear’s worth is very airport dependent. Places like MCO it saves a ton of time. My home airport ORD I’ve found it saves some time. My considering most of us here get it “free” via a credit card I like having the option.
I had the same experience at MCO on Saturday. Pre-Check line was at least 50+. I had to wait behind 5 people in the Clear line, was escorted up to the front, and the TSA agent efficiently eye-balled my boarding pass while scanning someone in the regular Pre-Check line. I had my bags on the belt in under 5 minutes. It was definitely faster than waiting in the Pre-Check line.
Agreed. I’ve seen the like crazy long at AUS, FLL, LAX recently. Not worth the wait when the regular PreCheck line is shorter. Let my membership lapse last week. Unlikely to renew after having it for the past 5+ years.
I flew out of AUS a week ago. I had never seen a CLEAR airport before, but noted that the line was very long. I had TSA pre heck, and never really had to stand in line at all – basically a walk through. My traveling companion did not have precheck, and it took her about 25 minutes longer to get to our gate than it took me. So pre heck was definitely worth it that day!
We had the same experience at BWI last month. Clear was a lot longer than even the regular line.
Same here. The CLEAR lines are often slower than PreCheck at AUS, SFO. Why am I paying for both?
Clear is a joke. Last time I tried to use it in San Diego. It gave an error message to my ID needed to be verified. They asked for my drivers license and tried to scan it into the clear terminal. The terminal rejected it. I have a drivers license with a yellow star on it. When I express my disappointment, they told me to call the clear support office. I told him no I wouldn’t call the clear office, and the clear office should call me. Then I went to the Clear app and messaged with an agent about the service failure. She said somebody from Clear customer service would call me within 48 hours. Of course, no call. I only have it because it’s free but I wouldn’t pay for it at all.
We had the same experience at MSP with TSA perhaps a bit longer than Clear. Might check lines more carefully next time but the difference was minimal, agreed.
Some of us are stinging from Clear’s past bankruptcy, which included not getting any of our annual fee back as a creditor. We also never received assurances that our biometric data was destroyed when their bankruptcy caused their entire shut-down.
What has changed with their business model to prevent another bk? As a result, I am sticking with just pre-check.
I joined CLEAR pre-bankruptcy. To my astonishment, I received an email when they resurfaced years later granting me a year subscription with the new company. You may have missed the email.
D.A., I was also a member before their demise/hibernation. When I looked to re-enroll, they found my old membership and said I had almost two years of membership credit. Doesn’t hurt to ask. Clear hasn’t relaunched at my airport, so without the Amex freebie, I probably wouldn’t keep it.
Smart!
They have about 10 Clear Kiosks in ATL but it seems only half of them are being used and we have to wait for an employee to guide us to a Kiosk. Recently I got on the Clear+TSA Precheck line and noticed about 20 people in line and less than 5 people on the standard Precheck line so I ducked under the ropes and went to precheck and got through faster than if I had waited for clear.
I saw this same situation first-hand flying out of ATL last Friday morning.
Made me wonder why i spent the extra minutes in Clear line. I should have ducked under the ropes like you.
Same experience in ATL recently and I should’ve jumped lines from Clear to Pre! So very slow getting escorted to kiosk, my eye scan never works, etc then I tell the Clear employee I’m in a hurry and yes I also have precheck. She did a maneuver to get me to another line.. and then that horrible baggage scan that takes so long in ATL…I barely made my flight. I will look at the lines next time before automatically heading to Clear.
I’ve given up on Clear at ATL. The line is almost always 3x longer than precheck. Trip last week I did precheck with tsa facial recognition and literally was through in 30 seconds.
Clear seems to be running at 6 or 7/10, sometimes worse. Hit or miss…
Lack of and quality of staff. If they are too busy, they are stressed, if not busy, seem not to want to be.
If it wasn’t paid by my credit card, it probably wouldn’t be included in my travels.
That matches my experience precisely. It varies by airport, just as TSA does. Mostly, I meet genial security officers but have the occasional mutt who spoils it for colleagues. Clear has the same variability.
I’ve had the same experience at MSP/DL( April 1, 1pm) and /DL ( April 19, 1pm). Both times, long lines, not all Clear machines available, only 2 agents I could see. Zoomed through with Pre-check. I get Clear for free (UA) and keep Pre-Check, so I have options. Now, about the DL clubs…
Have been through FLL and MSP often recently and noticed a trend that involves more time through the CLEAR lines with pre screen moving faster. While waiting recently at MSP, after asking why the line has been so slow recently, the agent said that people don’t want to work for CLEAR and are jumping ship for TSA employment because the salary is $8 less per hour working for CLEAR. This may well be at the bottom of the problem!!
Wow, very interesting re: the pay!
I had the same at Dulles. I even complained on the Clear survey I got. The benefits were lower ID requirements and jumping the line. Now with just an ID requirement and no boarding pass at precheck there are no ID reduction benefits, just avoid line jump which didn’t help. They thanked me for my input. 🙂
Flew out of Dulles in early April and the Clear line was about to revolt. I told the group around me I was making a break for it and joining the quicker TSA PreCheck line. Boy friend always makes fun of me for having Clear since we fly out of MKE, but I swear one of these days it is going to pay off (six months in, it hasn’t yet).
I wish there would be more consistency. I have used clear and had it take longer… so then I’ve used the Pre Check line which was short, for example most recently at JFK, however as I was next in line – they let 3 groups of clear people go ahead me.
Why are clear people being prioritized in pre check over actual pre check members?
I get filtering them in alternately, but don’t skip 3 groups of people ahead of someone waiting. This is the second time I’ve had this happen to me.
I’ve been a Clear member for probably 8 or 9 years – I got into a free lifetime membership deal. Yes, agreed its utility varies widely by airport. At ATL and I noticed two weeks ago at MSP, it is longer than the PreCheck lane. Seems to be a function of Delta handing it out like lounge memberships. Other airports it consistently saves time like ORD Terminal 5, MCO, some like RDU during morning rush.
The new screening machines have benefits of not removing items but do run a little slower. I am fine with that. I wish my home airport would get more of them. Due to construction, several checkpoints are closed and PreCheck is limited to one dedicated checkpoint that is centered for the primary hub carrier. I rarely fly that hub carrier and it adds quite a walk two concourses away to then backtrack to my gate. A standard screening checkpoint is at my usual departure concourse (but now with a moved construction wall you can’t see how long the line is until you’re in it) and if I’m on a day trip without much to remove, I just go there.
Clear is non-negotiable at MCO, it’s like the Wild West there and there’s rarely ever anyone checking boarding passes for Pre-Check. People just get in whatever line they feel like. Clear is the only way to get through in a reasonable amount of time.
That being said, other airports, it’s 50-50. I’ve seen the same understaffing at ATL that other people mentioned, and in Vegas, if you’ve got the bad luck to be there during CES or other big business events, Clear can put you at a serious disadvantage.
like u said. it’s usually only a few minutes if at all. but the times it is faster, it can save 20 + minutes, dia and lga comes to mind.
On occasion, Clear has saved me huge amounts of time in the morning at crowded airports like LAX. But more recently, we’ve noticed the pre-check line is shorter than the Clear line at our home airport of CVG, and even at LAX when we’re leaving in the evening. I think you just need to do a quick check and jump to the pre-check line if you can when it’s shorter. The wait I have experienced at Clear typically isn’t to use their scanning machine but rather to get past the TSA agent checkpoint. We all get scanned quickly but then have to stand in line waiting for escort past the TSA agent . Also, the last three times I have used Clear I have been asked to also bring out my driver’s license. It’s some sort of spot check but it’s happened to me often enough that it’s become irritating. If I was planning to have to dig through all of my luggage for my license I would have done that before getting in line and I would have just used pre-check.
It looks to me like the real problem with Clear is that it’s been shoehorned into the existing security checkpoint process / physical space and not very well. Needing someone to walk you to the front of the pre-check line is very kludgy. Maybe if they had their own dedicated TSA lines it would work better.
Same here with the random ID check. Twice in a row through MSP via CLEAR?
Exact same issue. The last 3 times I’ve tried to use Clear the make me produce my ID…isn’t this why I pay for Clear? To have my identity Cleared to proceed quicker to the baggage screening? I’m actually really pissed at Clear about this and won’t be renewing if they don’t fix this.
The last agent screening said that it was happening way too much and everyone is complaining about it…oh yeah…ya think?
CLEAR at MSP has been grossly understaffed for more than 8-10 weeks. I travel weekly from MSP, and usually now will skip CLEAR, and go through regular TSA PRE. It doesn’t matter South or North security, both CLEAR lans are usually slower than TSA, sometimes nearly 10 minutes longer. Sad to see such a program that started of adding value, to now being a disappointment most times.
This! ⬆️
If available, using the Digital ID line for TSA Precheck is the fastest. Been breezing through security with no wait times in Atlanta this way (sometimes, I’m the only one in line). I feel like for TSAPrecheck Clear needs to revamp its program with more kiosks that don’t need to be manned. It scans your eyes and you should be ready to go. I don’t need someone else to escort me to the agent. Why not have one agent dedicated to the Clear lines?
I don’t really understand the point of Clear vs. TS Pre, particularly when folks that are getting Clear paid for by credit cards are also getting TSA Pre/Global Entry paid for. Why don’t we just have one fast lane scheme? Why have both? Why have Clear over TSA-Pre?
I think it’s less a security/efficiency benefit and more just because it’s lucrative for the airports that contract with them.
Money. Anything that doesn’t make sense always suddenly makes sense once you know who is getting paid. Clear pays the airports a lot of money.
I had the same experience last week in MSP – I went Pre-Check and my colleague went CLEAR. I was through to the other side and waiting for him for 7.5 minutes. On the outbound in SFO I received the “Random ID Check” message, and therefore saved no time or process again. Simply not worth it at almost all locations these days – with free enrollment for UA and DL elites, plus the cards listed, far too many subscribers to make this work without a re-design of process flow, better/faster machinery, and more staffing.
Same experience consistently in DEN. In the last couple of months, the Clear line has been consistently outpaced by plain old TSA pre. It’s a basic math game. They have about six Clear kiosks and, at peak, double that in TSA pre. My experience has been that it also takes twice as much time now to get “cleared” at Clear kiosk versus just going through TSA pre desk. It’s going to be ironic if TSA pre becomes the retro fast track that beats Clear. Clear need to significantly increase the number of kiosks and also increase staff (which is a challenge)
Eight times out of ten times in ATL CLEAR line is longer than TSA PreCheck. CLEAR is going the same way as the Delta Sky Club. They are signing up more people than they can handle. Sigh!
Dubai airport offers biometric lanes for free including for US citizens. If we can use global entry for coming into the country, why not be allowed to use it for leaving the country?
Was at MSP and SAN twice last week and in all cases the folks in the CLEAR line are bumped in front of those with TSA pre-check and get through security much qyicker. It is also worth noting that my traveling companion on all flights was flying 1st class and made it through the line in the same amount of time even though they still had to remove, shoes, liquids, electronics, and stand for the full-body scanner.
CLEAR should have their own lines with agents that are separate from TSA and not simply keep budging others to the front of the TSA pre-check queue.
Regular Precheck is consistently faster than Clear PC at Atlanta. The main issue is that usually TSA only has one screening machine for Clear and regular PC, while the regular PC get another 5 or so screening machines. Therefore, there’s a big backup at the Clear screening machine. If Clear gets two screening machines (which happens once in a while), then the lines are fine.
I always just look first. Sometimes it’s worth it, othertimes not.
Situational awareness. Pay attention to all of your clearance options for every airport you use and adjust accordingly. 1st class check-in, CLEAR, TSA pre check, Global Entry, etc. Each airport is slightly different and can have wildly different passenger profiles at different times of day/year. Look at how the lines are moving and adjust accordingly.
And remember to make sure TSA pre check is on your ticket before you leave ticketing. I caught that one of the people traveling in my group didn’t have their ticket marked correctly and fixed it before we left the agent. Same trip, we stood by as TSA turned someone away at pre check because their ticket was not correctly. I’m thankful it wasn’t us.
We’ve had awful luck with CLEAR, where people working there are enforcement-minded and seem to go out of their way to look for problems. We hadn’t realized that my son is too old for TSA precheck, tbh the TSA people never said anything. Not only did CLEAR ask his age, we backed up and went to TSA precheck line – and the lady told someone who then went up to the TSA agent to say our son was too old. We could hear the conversation with prior family (their kid was 14, but had no problem) – of course the TSA agent had to send us to the other line. It’s the second unfriendly interaction in a row, which makes me dislike CLEAR even if their line might be shorter.
Agreed. I have had two consecutive instances now of “random” ID checks in Clear that have delayed me as well. Employees are often disorganized as well, which delays things. I’m not a fan and likely won’t renew.
Clear is fast–for now. But what happens when it becomes increasingly popular and the few kiosks they’ve set up won’t be enough to avoid a long line from forming? We’ve also become inured to private companies devouring our data. Who owns it, what do they with data, and how do they make money other than subscription fees?
I am philosophically against the existence of CLEAR. Private enterprise has no place expediting individuals past a government checkpoint. On my last trip through security, a CLEAR employee tried to squeeze a person in before me and I did not allow the person to cut ahead in the queue because they paid someone.
I always watch both lines and if TSA PreCheck has 10 or less infront it’s usually faster unless clear is virtually empty.
I don’t know if it holds true for all locations but on several occasions the clear agents are not allowed to escort a group of people (they used to be), instead they have to escort each individual one by one which makes the process very slow.
Clear shouldn’t exist in the first place. I find it crazy that the service is even allowed to thrive. Please stop subscribing to it and do everyone a favor and cancel now.
I fly out of MSP 2x weekly and the Clear passengers always take precedence over the precheck passengers.
A bit misleading when you discuss your MSP experience, but you take a picture of DEN.
There was nothing in the title dealing with MSP. It’s an editorial photo. And if you’re going to troll, why stop with DEN? You neglected to mention that I also discussed LAX, sport.
Everyone here is missing the key fact that Clear is often hindered by the TSA. The TSA at the Atlanta airport will frequently close out not open lines near the clear side. Many airports force clear to throttle the number of clear users when the clear line reintegrates with the precheck or normal security line.
TSA incompetence, inefficiency, etc is causing slow lines. Also, you may have seen in the news recently that TSA is warning of long lines this summer because they are understaffed and underpaid. I am all for paying a real wage to people, but TSA is a bloated organization that is bad at their job and costing taxpayers billions.
Processing one individual via Clear+TSA Pre takes more manpower and is slower than TSA Pre alone. Clear does not scale at all.
When there is a small line for each, Clear+TSA Pre is MUCH slower than TSA Pre alone. And disparity increases as the CLEAR line gets longer.
Clear+TSA is only faster when the Clear+TSA line is MUCH shorter than TSA Pre, as I recently experienced at SAN and LAS, but only because I got to cut the line.
In one of my home airports (IAD), Clear+TSA is
I almost signed up for it summer years ago, but I just did Global entry instead. I am introverted and didn’t like the small talk and extra social interaction it required by being processed by their agent and then having to walk to the front of the line with them.
The whole concept of paying a private company to get a fast pass to government screening is disgusting. I hope Clear goes out of business soon.
I have both CLEAR and Pre-Check. Thus, I skip to the front of Pre-Check. Well worth it as I travel back and forth throughout the week, every week.
I am just opposed to the whole business model of Clear and won’t use it out of stubborn principle. I wouldn’t be against if they had they own security agents but basically their selling line cutting on government property serviced by government employees. It’s a scam to the tax payers and I hope they go bankrupt again.
Yes! Clear is often longer than pre-check at DCA. If it doesn’t improve I will cancel the service even if my company pays for it!
I seriously question my sanity every time I use clear. I have to do more hoops than just showing the TSA agent my id. I’m United 1K and only one time can I think this has saved me any time and it was just a few minutes. And i had to wait for my buddy to make it through “regular” pre check anyway so I saved nothing. I can count many many times that I’ve seen the pre check person who entered at the same time as me get through faster. This is my game. I notice the person at the end of the pre check line and see who gets to the other side first. It gives me something to do at the airport
People like consistency when they travel, anything that minimizes or reduces the random moments of ruining your day that permeate the travel experience for all but the ultra-rich. This is where so many travel providers are falling short right now. TSA Precheck isn’t always faster. Neither is Clear. Airport lounges can be really nice or totally awful. Sometimes you whiz passed the rental car counter, other times even “elite” renters still have to wait in line at the counter. I’d argue hotels are probably the most consistent part of the travel experience these days, where frequent travelers now know to expect food & beverage as well as housekeeping to be operating at about 75% of what we found pre-pandemic. So I think the winners will be the first providers who actually, truly deliver consistency. How many frequent travelers are going to continue to pay a premium for extra convenience that we only experience 50% of the time? I’ve got a free year of Clear from my FF status, I haven’t even signed up because they’re STILL not even at my home airport (which has short security lines anyway so why do I need it?)
Why is clear a thing? Paying a private company to avoid government bureaucracy should be considered bribery.
CLEAR is almost always a longer wait at IAD and ORD than TSA Pre-Check. The 3 extra CLEAR people standing around trying to sign people up lie as you walk by that it will be faster with them instead of moving over and trying to catch up with TSA.
CLEAR is a bunch of BS. It’s the definition of privatization in the public square.
What’s wrong with TSA Precheck? If security is the actual goal, it should be THE option. Security isn’t the goal, it’s money. People, who don’t plan ahead, are will to pay lots of money to not be inconvenienced with waiting in line.
It’s a money grab plain and simple. I for one will continue to stand in the pre check line and heckle those CLEAR suckers that are escorted in front of me.
Clear and TSAPre often use the same TSA agent and they seem to be trained to wave through a Clear member, then process a TSAPre, then a Clear member etc. Clear would go faster if they would just wave through a bunch of Clears at once. They are cleared, after all.
That would really suck for the folks who haven’t signed up for Clear, as an entire line of Clear customers would then go and occupy all of the security screening gates.
Looking forward to the day that these airport services ( check in, lounges, etc) aren’t dependent on the credit card inclusion crowd. This seems to be what’s driving the overcrowding with these amenities. Everyone and their mother seems to have access through their proximity to an American Express card. That used to be reserved for more discerned travelers, now it seems to include any mouth breathing, pajama pant wearing parent with their 8 kids in tow. Huge eyeroll.
Oh the horror, the commonfolk have dared infiltrated and have access to life enhancing services as well. Oh dear, what is the world coming to (as I clutch my pearls).
Rest assured this COMMONER, I, and several of my commoner friends are more than happy with TSA Precheck and won’t be clogging up your precious Clear line. My airports HOU, BWI, and DCA I breeze through PreCheck without delay and have zero need for Clear on a regular basis. LAS has some long PreCheck lines at times but they move fairly quickly.
Also. Nothing more frustrating than a mee-maw and pee-paw from Topeka clogging up the the clear and/or pre-check line when they only fly once every 5 years to go eat crab legs and see off-off-off-off broadway sows in Branson.
Hoping that as airports install More sophisticated scanners —that don’t require that you strip down to your panties— we’ll see those lines ease up and crowds swing back there.
I had the opposite experience at MSP about a week and a half ago. Having CLEAR and pre-check got most of our party through quickly but then we had to wait 10 minutes for my pre-check only spouse! We entered the lines at the same time.
Certainly at Newark Terminal 3 (United) it is not infrequent to have the Clear line being longer than the Pre-check line. This is usually due to lack of Clear employees – they have plenty of Kiosks, just not enough people to process.
My last 3 CLEAR experiences have been poor. Each time i had the extra step of showing ID which is what CLEAR is designed to avoid. I watched regular pre-check zip through while i waited. I am glad I do not pay for that thing or I would drop it in 1 second.
I tried to use CLEAR at JFK last December and it was a total disaster. I still have not managed to sort out their problem with my account and they have given me a years free use which does not help me as I get it fee anyway through my Amex Plat card.
Why should travelers be forced to compromise their privacy and pay for Pre Check or Clear just to pass through security in a reasonable period of time? We should require our political leaders to direct TSA to staff airport security in such a manner that everyone passes through expeditiously, like other developed nations.
With Precheck, nobody’s compromising anything. The government already has your biometric data on file. All Precheck does is actively prescreen you to determine if you’re a security threat or not.
While this was all fairly manual in the past, it’s at the point where it could be automated on everyone – although that would raise significant constitutional issues, which is why it still remains opt in.
You can use clear without pre check or you can use clear with pre check. It seams each airport handles the express lines different.
It all depends on what resources the airport applies to each of the four options. You have Clear without precheck. You have Precheck without clear and You have Clear with precheck. And you have general security.
Airports don’t really put any resources into Clear, equipment and employees come from Clear and are staffed and supported according to the company’s whims.
In many ways, it’s the most American thing ever – take something the government already does extremely well (PreCheck), privatize the process, and then charge nearly 10x the price for marginal improvement.
Absolutely correct. I have clear and precheck. Precheck is normally faster. Considering cost, clear is NOT worth it. Long lines, slow service and sometimes they are simply closed.
Paying to cut the line doesn’t seem like it is in the public interest. Just another money grab. If waiting for TSA is an issue, how about showing up 5 mins sooner? I’ll never renew my clear. In fact I want my money back. I travel every week and your story is spot on.
Clear is a waste of time and money, and the attendants suck..so don’t waste time, glad it’s only year by year because we left after a year and haven’t regretted a minute.
I was a DM and I got CLEAR for free, but this year I dropped down to PM. My CLEAR subscription renews at the end of June, and I will need to pay $149 to renew. I also have two family members on my plan, and it appears that it will be $60 each when I renew.
At a minimum, the Green Card seems like a no-brainer. The card is $150/year and I will get back $189 from the CLEAR renewal. I am sure I can use the $100 LoungeBuddy credit too. However, I do not see using the card for much else. There is also a 45,000 point welcome offer after spending $2K.
However, perhaps I should re-evaluate getting one of the Platinum cards, or get the Green Card this year and then drop it for a Platinum card next year. Do you think your affiliate partner might add the Green Card? I am happy to wait and support the blog by going through your website to sign up. I imagine that there are a lot of DMs dropping down to PM or lower that are in the same boat.
It is definitely hit or miss, but it saved me big time at LAX Tom Bradley because I was flying Iberia and they don’t participate in pre check for some reason.
I flew today from Atlanta, GA to BWI and went through security with my son. He was on TSA line and I was in the clear line. After getting through clear, my son was made waiting for me for 10 minutes to get through the line. It’s crazy and not as promised.
That’s crazy, I’ve never experienced what you said. I have never, ever had to wait in line for clear, I always step right up and walk right through. It’s the best.
I love my Clear and have never had to wait in a Clear line at ANY airport . I also have TSA but it never has looked quicker than Clear.
I’m keeping my clear for now because I like it’s other perks like at stadiums but I’ll admit the last few times I’ve flown it hasn’t been worth it with the huge exception being Denver. Since Denver has switched to dedicating an entire checkpoint to Precheck Clear does get you to the next level there. In San Francisco we should have skipped the clear line though and ditto Minneapolis. One time they made us update our address and some details which further delayed us.
Yeah, CLEAR needs to get their act together and expand capacity. Last week I was flying out of LAX, the terminals were down and employees didn’t care much, they were nonchalant about it.
I’ve found MSP’s CLEAR line to be especially bad compared to the rest of the CLEAR locations. Staff is indifferent and seem put out to do their jobs. CLEAR is more popular than it used to be.
But I’m still very happy with it overall.
The benefits of Precheck over regular security are clear. Clear over Precheck, not so much. I fly multiple times a month and still have yet to see real world evidence that makes a good case for Clear – especially now that TSA is beginning to roll out facial scanners for Precheck.
I really dislike Clear and doubt I will ever use it. Its function is not to improve security, its function is to make the airports money while collecting your biometrics so they can use them “12 times per day”. They have no contract with the TSA. If everyone signed up for Clear, I highly doubt the line would move any faster than a regular PreCheck line, especially now that the TSA is offering to collect your biometrics for free with its facial recognition program. Clear is scamming us.
And, like most rights, once you’ve given up your biometrics to anyone, never count on getting them back.
At the ATL airport the clear line is really slow, but that’s mostly due to there not being enough TSA agents to process the loads of people through the scanners
The last two times I used CLEAR the standard TSA lines were moving faster.
I wasn’t upset because I arrived in plenty of time, but the sales pitch of it being faster is no longer aligned with reality in several airports.
It depends on several factors such as airport, time of year, and time of day. I’ve witnessed occasions where Precheck was slightly faster or the same as CLEAR. Generally speaking, I’ve found CLEAR to be worth paying for, with or without the credit card/airline subsidies. The CLEAR line always got me through security quicker at LAS, ATL, and EWR, especially the last two. I’ll usually scan both lines at the airport before deciding which one will get me through quicker. Some airports have CLEAR and TSA Precheck together, which is a nice benefit. Finally, there’s always the first/business class line if all else fails. Taking off my shoes is a small inconvenience if it will save me some time overall.
I had the same experience at MSP North TSA, and the Clear staff was less than friendly.
MSP -> CLT last Sunday night. Pre-Check was the same wait time as clear…which was less than 2 minutes. HOWEVER, clear has totally saved me at LGA in the past.
I have had CLEAR since it started. It has saved me on many occasions when I was running late for a flight. I also have PreCheck so I have something when I am at an airport where there is no CLEAR. It has been worth every dime I spend on it. I have had it free due to status and had to pay for it so I am not biased just because I get it for free. For the Atlanta airport, it is the best. I too enjoy the looks I get as I move to the front of the line
Wow! So many domestic flyers!
Yeah, CLEAR often, but not always, is speedy.
Airports in the Rest Of the World couldn’t care less.
CLEAR (+) TSA PreCheck lines; glad airports i’ve been through have combo lanes
I have used clear for as long as it has existed at MSP and other airports. It WAS amazing, fast and efficient. However, when they moved from signing up people at a separate area, outside of line, to signing up people in the same line as security, service slid fast. Almost every time there is some new person who doesn’t know how it works or are signing up for a free test etc that backs up the entire process. So then, as people shared, you need to jump out of line and in to TSA or First Class/Premium lanes to go faster. I am not sure what that person thought about the article being paid for by Delta. Read the article again…it’s about a sky club visit and clear. What do you expect from a an expert publication related to FLYING? Clear can be amazing, fast, and wonderful….just have the signup and onboarding area away from/totally separate from the security line. Maybe a future topic could be the old Mobile Passport app that was great and now was replaced by a new version that doesn’t work….Thanks Chris and Rene, love the content and always on the spot!
Me and my wife apply for TSA precheck April 7th. She got her number 3 days later. I am still waiting on my I am hoping to get it before our flight in June
I had the same experience at DL Term C at LGA, for an 8am flight. The Clear line was longest, then Precheck. At the no-precheck line there was literally no one.
I asked the Clear person why such a long line, they said that TSA will only allow one lane for Clear, regardless how many people are in the Clear line. So the issue is with TSA.
Precheck will deny anyone who has ever been convicted of a criminal offense (even a misdemeanor). Except juveniles with completely expunged records. Depending on the state, some adult records are merely sealed; the feds can still see them. So, some people with petty offenses that are 30 years old have no choice but to pay for precheck. I’m sure that CLEAR is aware of this fact, hence the absurd cost.
Home airport: ATL
If TSA Digital ID is open I’m heading right for it. It’s MUCH, much faster then Clear and I cannot wait till more places offer TSA Digital ID.
Clear is suppose to be upgrading their systems soon, so we shall see but if I still have to stand in line, wait to get called over, wait for a Clear agent to log on, wait for it to approve me then wait for that agent (Who is working with 2 or more people at a time) to then walk me over to TSA.
That’s a lot of steps. TSA Digital ID, you stand there then boom you are on to the next spot.