BA to offer Registered Traveler program at Kennedy Airport
By Andrew Compart, Travel Weekly, 08/31/2006
British Airways signed a deal to offer a Registered Traveler program this fall for its operations at New York's Kennedy Airport, giving the airline's business travelers and other frequent flyers the opportunity to pay an annual fee of about $80 for separate -- and hopefully faster -- security screening.
To qualify, under the program rules established by the Transportation Security Administration, participants must provide background information about themselves so they can be pre-screened by the TSA. They'll also provide a biometric identifier such as a fingerprint for a biometric identity card.
British Airways is offering the program under an agreement with Clear, a Registered Traveler program operated by Verified Identity Pass -- a private sector company. The BA-Clear agreement also includes provisions for marketing the program to BA customers across North America, including corporate accounts. Clear offers a discount to companies that pre-pay for 20 or more memberships with one check.
Clear has already negotiated agreements with the airports in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Orlando, San Jose and Toronto. The Orlando program, which was launched in July 2005 as the pilot for the private sector Registered Traveler program, now has more than 27,000 members, Clear said.
The Registered Traveler security checks do not promise to remove all of the hassles of screenings, including the requirement to remove shoes. But Clear said at Orlando Airport it and the TSA are testing a Clear verification kiosk, co-developed with GE, with explosive trace detection and shoe scanning technology.
Once approved by the TSA, the new equipment is intended to allow members in the Clear lanes to keep their shoes and jackets on as they pass through the security checkpoint, Clear said.