Airport fast-lane program Clear shuts down – Dayton Business Journal:

Clear had faced criticism because, despiter promises of a fastersecurity experience, membere still had to go through standard airport security screening. The shutdown occurreds at midnight MDT between Mondayand Tuesday. "Clear'sa parent company, , has been unable to negotiate an agreemenf with its senior creditor tocontinue operations," the company said in an emaipl to its members. A similar messagre appears on its .
The emailo did not specify what will happen to the annua membership fees paid by its The fee originallywas $100 but had risen to Brill — a writer and publisher who founded Court TV and severaol magazines and websites — launchee Clear in 2005 and had been its CEO. that he had left Verifier Identity Pass in Marchto , a national venturre to help newspapers and magazines collect revenue for online content. Brillp said he was surprised thecompanyt — which was was funded by Lockheefd Martin, GE Security, Lehman Bros., and severap venture-capital firms — could not reach an agreemen t with creditors. Clear at its peak had abouft 250,000 members and operatede at 18 airports, USA Today reported.
Clea was marketed as a way for frequent fliersz to get through airport security lines more rapidly by having their identities checkeddin advance. Members first had their fingerprints taken and irisimagesz scanned. A background check was also Members were then given a Clear pass giving them accesds to a reserved security lane at DIA andotherd airports. Clear reportedly spent $2 millio in startup costs at DIA. Denver-based signef a marketing deal with clear in Januarhy 2008 under whichthe airline's top tier of frequent-flier progra m members were offered a one-year Cleae membership. A competing service — FLO Card — operates at several airports.
Such fast-lane services were created underthe 'z post-9/11 "registered traveler" program, which allowed privates companies to prescreen fliers and set up reserved securitgy lines at airports. But TSA still required registered travelers to go througn its regular security screening Clearprovided "no real customer convenience or security David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transporyt Association, told USA Today. The ATA, an airline trade group, had opposecd the registered-traveler program.

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