TSA Changes, Won’t Require CLEAR Members To Show ID

Image: Travelers in TSA line (photo by Eric Bowman)
Image: Travelers in TSA line (photo by Eric Bowman)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 5:50 PM ET, Sat August 12, 2023

The whole idea of the airport CLEAR program was to provide security clearance ahead of time and cut down on the wait time at the airport security checkpoints.

For those that fly often, the fee was nominal.

But then someone in the program was able to carry on live ammunition through the airport and the TSA decided to investigate.

Now the government agency is backing off, according to a report from the Washington Post. The TSA will not require all members of the CLEAR program to produce identification after it had threatened to do so.

Apparently, the TSA was satisfied that the program fired its employees and the manager for breaking protocol in the incident. The program, which is active in about 50 airports nationwide, is run by a private security firm.

In a formal letter to CLEAR, the TSA said it would require a smaller portion of CLEAR members to show ID.

The two-year-old incident prompted TSA to start randomly selecting members of the program for further identification. While it is a noble idea for further scrutiny to protect our airports, the whole idea of the program was to pre-qualify members.


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Rich Thomaselli

Rich Thomaselli

Associate Writer

Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

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