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Tuesday, December 25, 2007 Airports resisting private screeners BY ABBY GRUEN AND SUSAN TODD The Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger For John Gogarty, a
public relations executive in Parsippany, getting through security at Orlando
International Airport is no different from driving through the Holland Tunnel.
He just wants to get through fast. Gogarty, who uses E-ZPass when he drives, didn't hesitate
to fork over $99 for membership in Orlando's equivalent of an E-ZPass lane -- a
program called Clear that allows travelers to speed through a special security
line. "If you're traveling during peak times, the security
lines can be a mile deep at the Orlando airport," Gogarty said. "From
a business traveler's perspective, it is a blessing." But a year after the roll-out of the federal government's
"registered traveler program," Gogarty is one of a tiny minority of
airline passengers who have been able to take advantage of it. The program is
sputtering, with only a fraction of the country's airports offering
E-ZPass-like security lanes run by private companies and manned by
Transportation Security Administration personnel. At Newark Liberty International Airport, the program is
available only in Terminal B despite efforts to establish it in the larger and
busier Terminal C. A handful of companies have launched programs with names
such as Clear and FLO. But to set up shop, the companies need the endorsement
of airlines and airports, and most of them have resisted the private programs.
The TSA, the government agency in charge of airport security, also has resisted
them. During the summer, TSA director Kip Hawley told Congress
he believes the registered traveler program is a low priority because it
doesn't do enough to prevent terrorism. The agency has yet to approve private
companies' high-tech screening devices. All this has left services such as Clear, which was
founded by entrepreneur Steven Brill and today is the leading registered
traveler program, struggling to make a case for its service. "Brill is trying to have a program that speeds up
the process; it's just not working out that way," business travel expert
Joe Brancatelli said. "TSA has a 'not-invented-here' mentality. They have
tried everything to stop it." The registered traveler program has its roots in 9/11.
Within months of the terrorist attacks in 2001, Congress passed legislation
authorizing the TSA to implement security screening procedures at airports. Buried in the legislation, a provision called
"enhanced security measures" authorized the creation of a
"trusted traveler program" to screen low-risk passengers. In theory, the registered traveler program would ensure
the new security requirements did not create chaotic logjams in airports, by
weeding out frequent, pre-screened flyers who pay for background checks and
special identification cards. But as private companies like Clear have rolled out
programs, they have encountered major setbacks. The TSA rejected strategies for
streamlining the security process, including shoe-scanning technology and
biometric subscriber cards. The technologies don't meet TSA standards, said spokesman
Lara Uselding. Another objection by the TSA is to the idea of diverting its
personnel to the private lanes at the risk of adding to the delays for the
general flying public. Without TSA approval of advanced equipment, registered
travelers receive the benefit only of shorter lines. They still have to show
government-issued photo IDs. They still have to remove their shoes and
backpacks, empty their pockets and pass through the same screening equipment as
non-registered travelers. Despite the hurdles, Clear, a part of Verified Identity
Pass Inc., says it has landed 85,000 subscribers and has just started making
money in Orlando. Brill, who is known for starting CourtTV and American Lawyer,
said he remains undeterred by the setbacks. "I have some background in starting new kinds of
businesses that never existed before and people say can't be done," Brill
said. Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travelers
Coalition, has worked as a consultant to both Clear and FLO (short for Fast
Lane Option Corp.) and says the future of the registered traveler program may
hinge on forging relationships with major airlines and offering other
travel-related services to fliers. "It's a brand new industry and one that isn't going away,"
Mitchell said. "It's been a struggle, but the fact of the matter is, it's
law." However, Uselding says: "The registered traveler
program is viewed as noncritical by the TSA. It is not a mandated
program." While Clear has spent the past year battling the federal
agency, Brill's leading rival, FLO, has been planning for an aggressive ramp-up
in 2008. Luke Thomas, a vice president at FLO, said the slow
growth of fast-lane security screening may be the result of false expectations.
"Some of the projections were grossly exaggerated," Thomas said of
the timetables. The providers need to have the sponsorship of an airline
or an airport operator. Without the support of the major airlines, the
registered traveler providers have been squeezed out of bustling airport
terminals, including Terminal C of Newark Liberty. Continental, which runs the terminal, said it has kept
Clear out because it already provides an exclusive TSA security line, for
members of its Elite program. But Gogarty, who describes himself as a loyal Continental
customer, said the airline's Elite flier status doesn't provide the same
convenience. On a recent flight about to leave Newark, Gogarty said,
Continental announced boarding for Elite members and a crowd of passengers
lined up. "There were only four people left," he said. "It
seemed like the whole plane was Elite. "When you show your Clear card in Orlando, you're
going to the front of the line," he said. "In Newark, you're still
waiting in line. Even at the Elite line, there's still a wait." Related: The Commodification of
Airport Security Access http://www.californiaaviation.org/weblog/2007/01/commodification-of-airport-security |