Most of us think of background checks in the context of applying for a job, or an apartment. But if you travel on airplanes, you probably go through airport security a lot more often than you change jobs. The steps a airline traveler goes through — lugagge screening, removing shoes, opening up a laptop, and passing lookup up against a no-fly list, constitute a background check in their own right. It is probably fair to say that most of us consider this something of an inconvenience.
The Transportation Security Administration has a Registered Traveler program that may allow travelers to bypass some of those long annoying lines. Since the TSA does not, apparently, wish to spend a lot of money on this, they are outsourcing the actual background screening to the private sector. The TSA’s cut is $28 per enrollment.
One such background check partner is Clear. For $100 per year, you can move through security a bit faster in 5 airports — none of them, alas, near Washington D.C. The website is rather vague on the benefits, other than stating enrollees will get a designated security lane. There is no explanation as to whether the screening experience itself is expedited in some way, whether through technology or other means. Still, it is probably worth it to have a shorter lane that will tend to have experienced travelers. I expect it would indeed go faster.
Clear uses biometrics for authentication — fingerprints and an iris scan. They are not specific on exactly what type of criminal check is done, or what would disqualify a participant. They state that “outstanding warrants and arrests could be a problem”. (Which begs the question, would someone on the run voluntarily register for this type of check?) Presumably a criminal conviction would not, in and of itself, prohibit the use of the Registered Travel program, nor a minor criminal record or arrest.
Orlando Airport has had an active program the longest, since 2005, and until this year was the only airport. 30,000 people have joined there, with 5,000 joining at the other four airports. Figuring out the revenue, this is really not a lot of money. Some of the new airports are opening in New York, which has quite a few people that would pay $100 for shorter lines. Hopefully the economics will allow the program to expand as the network of airports gets larger and makes it more desirable to travelers — but then, the lines may get longer too.
Your statement that “lines would get longer” once the Registered Traveler program expanded and the network of airports grew larger is not correct. Think of the concept on the highways for automatic tolling. Only for RT, you’d have dedicated lanes set up to move the “Clear” traffic or “registered traveler” members, and at a much faster rate than normal traffic, thereby speeding up everyone going through airport security. The regular lines would have far less people in them and the registered traveler lanes would be moving people through faster with technology such as “shoe scanners,” which are now deployed at our lanes in Orlando (coming soon to our other lanes) and, eventually, devices that would allow outer garments to stay on and laptops to stay in their cases and other innovations that could speed throughput at airport security.
Thanks for the update. It is certainly something I would explore if it came to our area.
Is there a criminal background check done everytime at security if a person is flying internationally? Therefore, a person on say, probation, would bring up a red flag. Is it regular to perform it on every passenger going through?