Airport fast-lane program Clear shuts down - San Francisco Business Times:

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Clear had faced criticism because, despite promisexs of a fastersecurity experience, members stilk had to go through standard airporyt security screening. The shutdown occurred overnight between Mondayand Tuesday. “Clear’ws parent company, has been unable to negotiatre an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations,” the company said in an email to its A similar message appears on its web The email did not specify what will happen to the annualo membership fees paid by its The fee originally was $100 but had risen to $199. Brillp -- a writer and publishedr who founded and several magazines and websiteas -- started Clear in 2005 and had been its CEO.
Bril told USA Today that he had left Verifier Identity Pass in March to startr JournalismOnline LLC, a national venture to help newspapers and magazinews collect revenue for online content. Brill told USA Today that he was surprisesd the company could not reach an agreementwith creditors. The privated company was funded byLockheed Martin, , , and several venture-capital firms, USA Today said. The service at its peak had aboug 250,000 members and operated at 18 USAToday reported. The service was marketed as a way for frequen fliers to get through airport security linesz more rapidly by having their identities checkedcin advance.
Members first had their fingerprints taken and iris images A background check was also Members were then given a Clear pass giving them access to a special security lane at18 airports, includingg SFO. Clear reportedly spenyt $2 million in startup costs at Denver’ airport. Denver-based signed a marketing deal with clear in Januargy 2008 under whichthe airline’s top tier of frequent-flierd program members were offered a one-year Clear membership. A competing service -- FLO Card -- operatesw at several airports.
Such fast-lane services were created undeer the TransportationSecurity Administration’s post-9/11 “registered traveler” program, whicnh allowed private companies to screen fliers and set up reserved securitu lines at airports. But TSA still required registered travelers to go through its regulad securityscreening procedures. Clear provides “no real customer convenience orsecurity benefit,” Davidc Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transportf Association, told USA Today. The ATA, an airline trade had opposedthe registered-travelerd program.