On Wednesday, a company that uses biometrics to confirm the identity of passengers is launching a service at Logan that, for $179 a year, allows travelers to skip past TSA lines. Called Clear , the service scans irises and checks fingerprints to let passengers get to security checkpoints even faster than those with TSA PreCheck .

A record 254.7 million travelers are predicted to take to the skies this summer, generating logjams that could test the patience of even the most seasoned travelers. But there may be some relief from potentially long security lines at Logan Airport.


Logan is the 29th airport to offer Clear. It will begin in Terminal A, which is dominated by Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines. But Clear president and cofounder Ken Cornick said he hopes it will eventually expand throughout the airport.

“We’ve had a lot of demand for it from people in Boston,” he said. “We would love to be everywhere. In most of our airports we are ubiquitous. I’m confident that the launch will go well, and we hope to have more news to share in the near future.”

Clear is not the same as TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, two programs that prescreen passengers and allow them move through the security process faster. Clear members still need to go through the TSA screening process. But Clear removes the first and sometimes excruciating step of standing in line to get a boarding pass scanned and license or passport checked. It’s often the step where queues can be longest.

“The vast majority of our customers use Clear in tandem with TSA PreCheck,” Cornick said. “That way they can move quickly through from start to finish.”

TSA PreCheck is $85 for five years. Global Entry is $100 for five years (but automatically enrolls you in TSA PreCheck). You don’t need TSA PreCheck in order to have Clear.


Biometrics, which can refer to everything from fingerprints to facial recognition, is a growing presence at US airports. The Department of Homeland Security said last month that Customs and Border Protection is working toward biometric technology to cover more than 97 percent of departing commercial air travelers in the next four years.

Passengers can start the signup process for Clear online and finish at the airport — or complete the entire operation at an airport kiosk. (Clear calls them pods.) There are no appointments necessary to sign up. Travelers go to a pod, answer security questions, and then get irises and fingerprints scanned.

The entire process takes about five minutes and the service can then be used immediately. The company currently has 3 million members.

When members arrive at the airport, they scan their irises or fingerprints, and then go to Clear lanes where “ambassadors” bring members to screeners. There will be 35 ambassadors total at Logan. There are eight Clear kiosks in Terminal A, four for people using TSA PreCheck, and four for those going through regular TSA security. There are also four enrollment kiosks.

If Clear sounds familiar, it’s because it’s not the first time the company has been at Logan. A decade ago it pulled out after about four years at the airport when the company filed for bankruptcy. CEO and cofounder Caryn Seidman-Becker and Cornick acquired Clear in bankruptcy and relaunched the company in 2010. Cornick said it’s now a “totally new company, new technology, new management team, but the same brand.”


Eventually Customs and Border Protection hopes to create a process where travelers use biometrics instead of boarding passes and IDs through the entire boarding process, according to John Wagner, deputy executive assistant commissioner.

JetBlue began testing facial recognition technology in Boston two years ago on international flights, partnering with Customs and Border Protection. The program is out of the pilot stage, and JetBlue recently expanded the service more widely to other airports. Travelers are photographed at the gate instead of checking in with boarding passes. Those photos are then sent to Customs and Border Protection, and those with successful matches are allowed to board without showing a ticket or a passport. Since the program began, JetBlue has boarded 1,400 flights and matched 125,000 passengers with facial recognition.

Clear is a completely optional program that does not work with Customs and Border Protection. Cornick said the company protects members’ privacy and does not sell or share information.

A row of Clear kiosks in Terminal A at Logan. The service allows paying customers to skip TSA lines. Adam Grossberg

Delta partnered with Clear three years ago, and has incorporated the technology into its lounges. You can gain access to the Delta lounge in Boston through a Clear scan or fingerprint. Delta has also experimented with replacing boarding passes at the gate with Clear biometrics. Members of Delta’s SkyMiles program also receive a discount on Clear membership. The addition of Clear in Boston, particularly at Delta’s Terminal A, gives the airline another advantage as it aggressively adds flights here.


There is a chance that Clear’s biometrics could soon also turn up at sports venues in Boston. Cornick would not divulge specifics, but said he has had a number of discussions with Boston teams.

Adding Clear would give fans an opportunity to skip lines getting into games. Cornick said that eventually the technology could be expanded to allow people to buy concessions with a fingerprint.

“I think this has tremendous appeal for applications across the board,” he said. “One thing most people don’t enjoy doing is standing in line.”

Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Chris_Muther.