CLEAR Security Screening

Does this situation sound familiar? You arrive at the airport in time for your scheduled flight, only to discover the line to enter the security screening area is longer than you expected. You stand nervously at the end of the line, clinging to your luggage and boarding pass, hoping to make it through security and to your gate in time. This scenario is anxiety-inducing and can happen anytime and anywhere, for frequent and occasional travelers alike. Luckily, a high-tech solution called CLEAR® can help you get to the security screening faster and with less stress.

CLEAR offers expedited access to the airport security screening process through the use of biometric technology. Instead of using traditional ID documents like a driver’s license or passport, CLEAR uses fingerprints and eye scanning to identify the traveler.

When you use CLEAR at a participating airport, you scan your boarding pass and confirm your identity with the biometric scanner, and then get escorted to the security screening. This allows you to bypass the standard pre-screening line. Keep in mind that travelers who use CLEAR are still required to go through the regular TSA security screening process.

For many people, the idea of using a biometric identifier seems like science fiction, and for a good reason. This type of technology has been featured in popular sci-fi movies like “2001: A Space Odyssey,” "Blade Runner,” “RoboCop” and “Minority Report.”

Biometric identification—in the movies and real-life—works because individuals have unique physical identifiers, including fingerprints, irises, and faces. CLEAR uses a patented enrollment process that connects the identity of a traveler to their unique biometric identifier, so the traveler no longer requires a physical form of identification to enter the TSA screening area.

To sign up, visit clearme.com and then finish the enrollment at any CLEAR location. CLEAR is available at most major airports throughout the U.S., including the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Terminal 1. CLEAR kiosks and enrollment stations are available at the north and south checkpoints at the main terminal.

A CLEAR membership costs $199 per year. Add up to 3 family members or friends to your account for $119 each. Family members under 18 years old can always join you in the CLEAR Lane for free.

This article was originally featured in our print edition of LIVE | PLAY | AAA in September/October 2019. It was recently updated in October 2024 to reflect any changes to the program.