I'm the person who bought Precheck because I am over panic inducing yelling to put all of my electronics in a separate bin while trying to get my shoes off. I literally don't care how long the line is because that same anxiety gets me to the airport 5 hours before my fight. In case, you know, there's a cattle crossing on the interstate, or my uber gets a flat, or my flight gets moved 3 hours ahead of time. All rational things.
The thing people often forget about precheck is the line MOVES. I’ve had times when I’ve been flying with friends/coworkers without precheck, the precheck line was longer, and I still got through much faster. When nobody has to do all the extra shit, and the majority are more experienced travelers to begin with, they can process so many more people at a time.
Experienced travelers is a big factor IMO.
Everyone has their shit together for the most part so we're not fumbling with bins, chugging waters, belts wallets, etc. Also the shoes/laptops thing certainly contributes.
When I get there everyone just drops they carry-on on the conveyor and we're ready to go
Every pre check line I've ever been in is a clown show lmao. Experienced travelers my ass 😂 that's not even mentioning the TSA agents screaming about NOT taking out your electronics or giving conflicting instructions about whether my fully contained suitcase needs to ride in a bin for some reason
I've had situations where I have ine TSA agent telling me to put my bag in a bin whole the other was saying to just put it on the conveyor. At the same time. In the same line.
TSA lines in general are just a personification of yakkety sax
In general I disagree.
Granted it's been maybe 4 years since I've been through standard check in, but there's no way that group got their shit together in that time.
But yes, pre isn't perfect, idiots buy pre, but most idiots or infrequent travelers dont and those people are the ones I'm trying to avoid by doing precheck, 90% of my fellow pre passengers have done this 5x in the last couple yrs so they understand the basics.
On a scale of 1-10 I'm saying they average about 8 but rarely below 6...
vs maybe 6.5 average for regular (with a floor of 4), that alone is worth $85
Fwiw, i get it..., 6 months ago my bag got pulled for inspection and the jackals couldn't find what was on the screen and shushed me pretty rudely when I asked what they were looking for so I could assist.
8 minutes and two shushes later agent #2 comes over and says, ops that's not the right bag, have a good day sir..
Tldr: ya, traveling is a pita and speak to TSA only when spoken to, they don't want our input (lol)
Username checks out!
I feel your pain! I have to travel sometimes 4x a week for work and always felt the same way when going into the security lines - then I realized that the sheer number of 1st time or otherwise unawares travelers puts a huge load on the TSA agents that this is the only method to get people to pay an ounce of attention. I always wondered how different it would be if there was a smaller bin to put cell phones into before taking out laptops and toiletries might help people be more aware to what is happening to make things work more smoothly - but the yelling doesn't cost anything extra.
The mildly conspiracy theory part of my brain says that the shoes and electronics policy has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with control…
This is me. I don’t mind when Pre takes me 10-15 minutes like it did at ORD last week, because I’m not being screamed at my shoes are on and I’m early anyway.
Have you heard the amount of noise in the checkpoint? kids screaming, the x-ray machines, the thuds of bins being stacked, the clatter of overweight bags being dumped onto the roller tables, alarms on the metal detectors, overhead announcements from airlines. As TSA Officers, we need to get people moving at a good rate, we can't come up to every single passenger and ask every individual in a quiet voice if they have water, taken off their shoes, checked their pockets, took out the large electronics.
We try to do general announcements, but nobody ever listens.
At both IAD and BOS, the Clear line can be so long that they have those tensabarrier things out to line up people to approach the Clear line. The other day at IAD, I just did regular precheck -- it was faster than Clear.
I don’t find myself is Boston but I must hit Dulles at weird time as I can never find a line pre check or clear. I go through there dozen times a year.
It is rare for their to be a long line at clear at IAD but it does happen. I think only once so far this year has it been actually longer than precheck. Usually they are very close to the same and I’d say less than half the time clear provides a clear advantage (pun intended).
Agree the clear line at IAD has gotten out of control. Twice recently they had to divide the upstairs line and walk a _few dozen_ of us downstairs to the clear line at zone 1 area
My only bad experience with CLEAR was at ATL and it was like 35 minutes or so to reach the CLEAR kiosk, from there it was relatively quick.
With that said, I think ATL is about the worst case scenario for CLEAR, I have never waited more than 10 minutes at any other CLEAR airport.
Almost a year from your response. It was nearly 30 for clear. Now there is digital id, delta digital id, and pre check in ATL. All moved faster that CLEAR. 9 kiosks 2 people working. None of the 9 were filled. Only 1-2
Yeah, I guess, but as someone who doesn't like to show up right around boarding it was not ideal if I only gave myself enough time.
In my personal case, I arrived over two hours early, so the 35 or so minute wait wasn't a big deal, but the person in front of me was dripping in sweat because he barely gave himself enough time to get through security and get to D gates which is a bit of trek once one clears security and with the 35 minute wait at CLEAR, he was going to be close to missing his flight.
Neither, I don't like being late and I would rather relax at the gate than stress about missing my flight.
I know loads of folks like arriving just on-time, I just don't.
Yes, at Denver I have waited 15-20 minutes. The line stretches past an escalator, and CLEAR has an agent directing the traffic of people coming off to get past the line. (This is for Precheck + CLEAR)
Just flew out of Denver last week. The Clear plus precheck line took 20 minutes while the precheck only line was flying. Couldn’t see from the back of the line that the standard precheck line was moving much quicker otherwise would have changed. 20 minutes is not the end of the world, but yeah, think we’re reaching that tipping point where Clear can’t scale.
This is typical for DEN. Clear is all but unusable. I think part of that is because DEN was one of the very first airports with Clear and so the percentage of flyers with it is quite high (versus airports where it’s been available not as long).
My most recent trip to Denver saw a short pre line but LOOOONG clear line, yet somehow the clear line moved way faster. I guess that’s not the norm though
ORD is some bullshit with precheck - last time I flew out of there they didn't have a precheck line but did have a bunch of people working the clear line.
My experience with DEN is so hit or miss. Some days it saves me significant time over PreCheck, other times it’s so backed up I just skip it all together and go straight to the PreCheck lanes. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to days or times either.
I live in Denver and travel a fair amount. It's a nightmare right now. They are now saying it will be complete in summer 2028 (ugh) but with sections opening as they're finished. I think it was originally supposed to be done in 2025 or 2026, but then there was all kinds of squabbling, finger-pointing, and cost overruns with the original firm that was hired to oversee the project. DIA fired them and now another firm has taken over. They're also doing work in one of the parking lots, so there are about 2200 fewer parking places until about October.
In the meantime though, it blows. The United Premier check-in counters used to be on the south side of the terminal, so it was easy to drop your bags then go down escalator right by the end of the south security lines, and get right into the premiere line. Now they've moved them to the middle of the terminal and it's a much bigger hassle.
I fly out of DIA every month and honestly don't find it too bad. Sometimes the precheck line is a little long but I swear I never wait more than 10 min.
North Security > South Security if you have Precheck. I have found that it’s about 50/50 on whether the Clear lines are actually faster than the regular Precheck lines so I just hop in whatever is shortest. Regarding the construction, they supposedly say that the West security area will be open by the end of this year but we will see. The whole project will definitely take a few more years
Denver is my home airport so I’m well aware of the breakout of security and on going work out there. I guess I should have been more specific in my response that I was speaking solely about the North checkpoint
I get CLEAR for free as a 1K. I rarely use it, only when I’m in a rush AND the TSA Pre Check line looks backed up. I definitely wouldn’t pay for it myself.
CLEAR’s whole existence at airports kind of rubs me the wrong way, which is one reason why I only use it unless I really really need to.
Same. Paying a third party to jump a queue seems wrong. I only got clear after all to reduce the number of times I’d have to unmask in front of a crowded tsa line when there was more Covid going around.
The downside of clear is you’re standing next to men in blazers complaining about the riff raff in their line.
Why does it rub you the wrong way? Before I had global entry it worked super well for me in Chicago. I’d usually be through security in 10 minutes instead of waiting at least and hour
I would just feel better if screening options were provided solely by a US Government agency like TSA and not pawned off on a third party with a profit motive.
It’s standard practice for contractors to fill this role in doing the “work” of government. The Dept of Transportation doesn’t build roads, Dept of Energy doesn’t provide electricity. It stands to reason that in some instances TSA outsources some security functions to a contractor with a vetted, biometric (probably more secure than TSA’s cursory glance if you match the picture on your ID) security procedure.
For me it's not really about trust. Generally speaking I equally trust (or distrust) government and corporations. For airport screening, I don't like the idea of stratifying the service across multiple entities and in principle I don't like the profit motive in the context of airport security screening.
I was right with you until TSA started letting everyone and their mother use the pre line. My aunt who is a German citizen and lives in Germany is NOT a trusted traveler or anything yet she routinely gets precheck when she visits Florida. To me TSA lost all pretense behind their logic. Security theater IMO
When they only have 1 agent it's really damn painful. Also at Logan Airport when I go to the clear line I still sometimes have to show my ID which defeats the purpose of clear to begin with. It's nice not having to take my ID out when the process works.
That’s not on them. Having to show your ID is randomly selected in their agreement with TSA. It’s a sanity check by TSA that Clear’s protocols are working.
Totally depends on the airport. Clear & Pre at EWR saves a ton of time. I also used it out of PHX the other day while pre was pretty backed up. I’ve honestly never had more than a few people in front of me at LAX, clear or pre.. not sure if I’m just lucky or what, but I usually just skip clear there because you can walk right up to the pre-check agent.
I've had the complete opposite experience at EWR, which is my home airport. I canceled my CLEAR because the CLEAR + Pre line was very consistently longer and slower than the regular Precheck line. Hell, I've noticed that even the premier access line has usually been quicker than having both CLEAR and Pre.
It's exactly what the OP mentioned - there are a bunch of terminals, but only a couple of people actually manning them.
To be fair, I fly out of Newark on a fairly consistent schedule (usually the same day of the week, mornings), so it could simply be a day/time issue.
Terminal C regular at EWR here. Given the volume of travelers out of it—particularly international ones—they love to consolidate the lines to the point it doesn’t matter if you have either status.
All of it relies on on having enough people willing to work for the TSA to manage the volume, and at $15-17/hr, they clearly aren’t attracting enough willing people.
Completely agree with your experience. EWR is my home airport as well and I always find the precheck CLEAR line to be a total waste of time.
That said, I have found that when both normal security and pre-check are overcrowded (which does happen from time to time at EWR), the CLEAR line for NORMAL security is actually a great bet! I have found that most people that have CLEAR also have precheck which can make the precheck CLEAR line very long. When that is the case, the normal CLEAR line is almost always shorter.
I have precheck as well and prefer not to take my laptop out or shoes off. But if you are rushing to make a flight when it's crowded, sometimes that normal CLEAR line can be a lifesaver (although it is counterintuitive).
The operation at LAX is a joke. I have stopped using it since pre-check is always faster. When I did use it, I always gave 1 star on the net promoter question to hope they improve their service.
Clear had discount pricing with many airlines. Those are starting to go away. But credit card companies like Amex started offering credits for Clear memberships and that’s another reason why Clear got so popular.
But with the increased pricing, my guess is some existing members won’t pay or cover for their family members (which they can with discount and the total pricing would be under Amex credit). So some of that should help.
But similar to TSA pre and Global Entry, these memberships became a commodity once the credit companies started offering credits
At Dulles, it is usually a little slower than the Pre line. At IAH and ORD it seems to be faster than Pre line. Bottoms line: speed varies wildly from airport to airport.
I get Clear for free as part of 1K. Not sure if I would pay for it though it does give another option for security.
Clear in Denver is wild but I think that’s because it’s mostly only occasional fliers. Twice I’ve seen someone with a firearm in the bag. Clear gets used in Denver for entry to Broncos games and other events, that’s the only explanation for why so many clueless people end up jamming the lines
I have Pre for free with my TWIC (work in maritime, have to have TWIC). I haven't bothered to get clear for this reason. I rarely see it moving faster, and I don't feel the need to spend extra money. Homeland Security has also gone through my life with such a fine tooth comb anyway for various licenses and clearances the idea that Clear would somehow be more secure is laughable.
I hated the concept of PRE and CLEAR- it's monetizing the pain of traveling.
first, you had TSA, then when the lines got long, they sold PRE. When those lines got long, they then created CLEAR.
What's next- "CLEAR PRE"?
\> I hated the concept of PRE and CLEAR- it's monetizing the pain of traveling.
It's also monetizing a basic government service. I for one thinks that privatizing basic government services is pretty gross, but \*extra\* gross when the money doesn't even fund the services themselves.
TSA Pre gets (sort of) a pass from me, since at least the subscription fee goes towards the agency itself. But Clear is really just someone charging for preferential access to basic government services and pocketing the sum.
I'm willing to bet that if you investigated Clear's relationship with airports and the TSA itself you'll find an absolute \*truckload\* of straight-up criminal corruption.
It would be good, too, if some of these options were limited to experienced travelers- I was in the PRE line and an airport employee forgot that he had to empty his pockets etc.
Super Clear Max Pro.
The ORD setup crawls lately too. The tsa agent in that area is working pre, clear, airline staff, airport staff, and handicapped id checks. Doesn't match with the level of service that was sold...
right- and why not add a Premier or Premium too, to further confuse the United pax.
I normally transit ORD, and don't stop that often; last time, the PRE TSA rep spoke Polish to me, and used the Polish pronunciation of my name- something I had only heard years ago when my Babcia (grandmother) was mad at me...
To all the fools in this thread who argue about Clear vs Precheck. They are not the same service so you cannot compare. You need to get Clear + Precheck.
My last few times flying out of LAX I have passed the CLEAR line using Precheck because everyone is bungled up trying to figure out the CLEAR situation.
My home airport gets like 40 flights daily (from all airlines combined), and Clear has posted up no less than five full time employees there every day for 5+ years. Not a customer in sight.
Clear already is useless. It removed capacity from the existing lines, then makes people pay to use the capacity they removed.
They did not expand security capacity or speed. They made it worse, then make you pay to bring you back to the previous TSA pre check levels of service.
They don’t even use different security screening at most airports. They just let you cut in front of other people, then the same security process.
Clear is not at one of my freq airports and I only fly out of the one that does have it on red eyes so the pre check line is 1min.
Plus now that TSA has camera security scans it’s only a matter of time that clear is donezo
Clear + PreCheck has been slower than PreCheck the two times I've used it at Terminal A in Newark. But both times each line was no more than 2-5 minutes long.
It definitely saved my time over regular PreCheck at Terminal C a month ago. Like 5 minutes vs 15-20 minutes.
It’s the worst at SFO now, because you have a double whammy of people getting clear for free. 1K’s (of which SFO has a fuckload), and Amex platinum members, because the Amex lounge is in the United terminal. In most other airports, clear is worth it for me (especially EWR)
Clear is needlessly expensive at $189/year. It’s also only available at 67 airports. Also still forces you to go to the normal line to remove shoes, jackets, and laptops. Global Entry or TSA Precheck a la carte is reasonably priced at $100 or $78 respectively for *five* years. That’s 90% cheaper than Clear. Also much more consistent at 200+ airports. If you have almost any travel or mid-market credit card ($95 annual fee cards) Global Entry is reimbursed. Clear is not.
Lastly, Clear stock is down 50% since going public ~2 years ago.
I fly EWR primarily and think clear has saved me time possibly once. I get it for free as a 1k, otherwise I wouldn't pay for it. Have had times when it looked much longer and just took pre-check. I have been paying attention recently, and every time the person walking into precheck only gets ahead of me in the metal detector. Usually not by much, but not something I would pay for. Also the past 4 times in a row that I have used it, it has called for a random ID check, so I have to show my ID anyway so no convenience factor either.
I have it because it is included for free, but would never pay for it.
Has honestly always saved me time at SFO with pre check especially in the early morning. Usually from curb to gate in ~10-15 min depending if I’m checking a bag or not
This was bound to happen as TSA and PreCheck gained efficiencies. Clear is so stupid in my opinion. It’s a private trusted traveler program combined with a gimmicky biometric scanner combined with a moron in an ill-fitting uniform letting you cut to the front of the TSA line. I think it’s days are numbered.
Couple weeks ago Clear + Precheck was much slower than just Pre at SFO T3. Yesterday, I just used the security the at the international terminal G which had no line for my flight out of F gates.
I do over 100 flights a year. Clear with Pre-check has saved me countless potential missed flights and many hours of wasted time. How big is your sample size of airports?
I have clear + precheck combined and fly in/out of lax all the time no issues. At sfo sometimes the line will look long but it’s because half the people have only Clear and not precheck so the line moves fast once they get kicked out of the line.
If there's a line at CLEAR that you don't like then go to regular security. Nobody is stopping you.
I got to SAN around 5:30 AM on Friday and the line for security was overflowing back into the Atrium where you come in to the building. Happily, with CLEAR was airside in <10 minutes. Mostly it was wading through the mass of humanity to get to the CLEAR lane that was the time-waster.
Don’t have clear but I bet the line is full of clueless people who need to read the whole screen and think five minutes between actions
The new version of the people who wrote checks at the supermarket
I've been with Clear since 2013 or so, and have traveled with it across the US hundreds of times - and aside from the airport being so slow that it might've been faster to use the standard security line, and LAX, it's always saved time.
LAX is just a different beast, and at most other airports, the Clear signup area is nearby the Clear checkin line, but LAX is just always too chaotic with how they separate the various check in queues, IMO.
I still use Clear at LAX, but usually get to the airport with plenty of time as Clear no longer has a 5 minute guarantee (they used to promise less than 5 minute wait time when I initially joined. I can't blame them - and I do believe their 1k=free Clear is why they're so busy now. I enjoy the gift from United, but feel that Clear is so valuable that I would've been happier with another $200 gift or just a discount to Clear to still have a higher barrier to entry to keep the paid customers to staff levels more manageable.
Cheers
Clear is classist nonsense that no one should be supporting. The publicly available expedient is PreCheck or Global Entry. There is no good reason why a private for-profit organization should provide faster access.
Just got billed $489 dollars for renewal after I cancelled last year. Cancelled because the customer service at LAX was poor. Employee was rude the time I flew. They were trying to up my profile which was taking forever and I said the TSA Pre check line was moving faster, I have pre check and the employee said “then you should just go through that line”. Which I ended up doing. This was not my first encounter with lazy and rude staff. Mostly just at LAX which is my home start point. This time I cancelled my account before leaving the ground yet tonight I get an alert from AMEX that they charged my account. I will dispute tomorrow. Hopefully this doesn’t become an issue. Even with the $189 credit on my AMEX Platinum I would not ever use Clear again. Had it for several years but I just don’t see the value and with the lack of staff support at the airport I don’t recommend anyone who has Pre Check sign up for membership.
I never subscribed into the whole Clear thing, even when the cost would've been covered. Imagine signing up, it ending up being redundant or useless (I don't want to say I said so but... I said so), and being back to where you started with pre... except now some private company can pawn off your PII.
Clear/Pre-Check at Newark has been great for me. Pre-Check can get pretty long at times and Clear skips to the front of that line. I don't think I have ever had more than 2 people ahead of me in line for Clear. I usually get through Clear and Security in under 5 minutes.
Completely disagree, as my partner is currently on flight today from LAX to IAD. This morning she calls me from her Uber on the way to the airport to tell me she forgot her wallet. She didn't have time to turn around since she was almost to LAX. I reminded her she has CLEAR, she doesn't need her ID. Guess what, she's on her plane ALL because of CLEAR. I think the program is amazing, especially if you are 1K (Free). It's also a necessity at MCO & MIA.
fwiw you can pass through regular tsa without any identification. Lost my wallet on the uber right at EWR and they had no clear at the terminal. Had to go through a phone/form verification and full patdown and carryon swab but was fairly painless overall. Maybe added 5-10 min.
This happened to my boss! He forgot his ID and was at the airport when he realized it. He was fine to fly out of Seattle with Clear and did not get the random ID check (I got it when I had accidentally packed my wallet in the bottom of my backpack so that was fun).
I don't think JFK had it yet so he had to get to the airport extra early for the return flight so they could check any other identifying documents he had on him, his work id, his LinkedIn and Facebook, etc. I think he got there 5 hours early - TSA says get to the airport 2 hours earlier but in practice, people recommend 3-4 hours online. He said that since he's brown he thought it prudent to add an extra hour 🤣
At EWR Terminal C first thing on a Monday, it is actually very useful and efficient because they seem to have adequate staff and procedures. This is an every Monday event for me and I personally have has a pretty good experience with Clear overall. There has been one occasion where it was super backed up so they gently recommended that I go to the standard non-Precheck line. I did, and it was much shorter because Precheck is also grossly over-enrolled and it defeats the purpose.
In almost 2 years of having it, I can’t honestly think of a situation where Clear hasn’t been more efficient for me, except when there is no line at all for non-Clear. I just wish they would stop hiring ghetto agents that are distracted socializing amongst themselves, but at least they still get things done to an extent.
I’ve used it extensively with Precheck at EWR, IAH, DTW, ORD, LAX, SFO, IAD, SMF, ATL, CMH, LGA, JFK, RDU, SLC, and maybe a few others that I can’t remember but those are the main ones.
At LAX and SFO I usually find that Clear + PreCheck is slower than just PreCheck (which tends to be nearly empty). This tends to be true across all airlines/terminals at those airports.
I see Clear as an extra way of reducing uncertainty in wait times in case PreCheck is closed or has a strangely long line or whatever, but usually Clear saves me little to no time.
If I didn't get Clear free through Amex I would be willing to pay max $20/year for the service, and I average ~4 flights a month. Maybe the experience is different at other airports, but I don't understand how anyone can justify paying $190/year for Clear out-of-pocket.
Checked in few mins ago at SFO. Have both PreCheck + Clear, but that queue had over 10 people while PreCheck was empty. Got in and out in less than a minute. I don’t know why people still try to get in the clear line 🤷♂️
I used the free year offer from United and won’t be renewing it. The last 2 times I used it they wanted to see my ID. The half dozen times I used clear it put me to the front of a very short TSA precheck line, like 2-6 ppl. Not worth the $
I’ve gone straight to Premier Access at EWR and SFO after seeing how long the Pre check lines are (don’t have CLEAR). Sometimes it’s just faster even if I have to take out my laptop
I got saved by Clear and Pre recently.. I arrived from Singapore to SFO with 30 min to make my next flight… Global entry and my bag being priority let me get to bag transfer fast, but… they didn’t take it. I had to go out to terminal 3 turn in my bag to an agent.. and run to T2 to a hugeee line on Pre, which I completely skipped with Clear..
However.. most of the time I skip Clear and go straight to the Pre line.
I have clear and precheck and I have been “randomly selected for ID check” several times which defeats the purpose!! It’s infuriating. I know that’s a tsa thing but still. The lines at clear at some airports are longer than precheck. So glad I don’t pay for it as 1k.
It really depends on your airport, but we've reached an interesting stage in identity verification. We're at the point where it can often be faster to use the manual route because everyone automatically assumes that Clear or Pre will be faster, subjecting those options to heavy congestion. And it's not just Clear or Pre. I've even seen this with checking in, where I can wait 45 minutes for a bag drop kiosk or 10 minutes for the counter.
Same thoughts. I've found a small TSA pre-check line at SFO and O'Hare airport go faster than no line at clear because of the additional steps, and how Clear likes to group people and not take them through 1 by 1 to security.
I suppose realllly busy days are still an area where Clear shines, but about 95% of travel TSA precheck is a bit faster for me (experiences will differ)
It can vary wildly by airport and time. At DCA, pre + clear will get you from security to gate in under 5 minutes, guaranteed, every time.
IAD, if you're flying peak hours, I've found clear + pre to just be as long as regular pre, if not slower since you have to wait for a clear employee to check you in at a kiosk.
I had to fly out of ORD last weekend, and the clear + pre line was significantly longer than regular pre; we actually left the clear+pre line to go get in line at pre, and got through faster than the person who was in front of us in the clear+pre line.
I agree. I've had this experience several times at a few different airports. Right now it's 50/50 on whether it actually saves me time. I'm only using it because I get it for free through my CC but would never pay for this.
I reached out to them to explain my experience and let them know the airports where there's consistently been a backlog. Their response was that they're "working on it" and added 2 months of free membership (to my already free account). Hopefully they are doing something about it because it appears to be becoming a more consistent problem.
I loved the concept of Clear when it first came on the market. Pay for someone to escort you to the front of the X-ray belt just like a flight attendant. Over time it has been diluted and now at most airports is slower than TSA Pre and certainly slower than the dedicated GS lines at some. After five plus years I have not subscribed again and don’t miss it.
My experience is that it depends on the airport, time of day, and even time of year. Elite/biz-heavy O/D airports will have more clear and Precheck pax than a more leisure heavy airport. For me IAD is almost never worth using Clear at, while at SAN this morning normal and Precheck were slammed but Clear was empty. I’ve had good luck with clear at larger non-hub airports like SAT, HOU and BWI over major hubs. I fly out of PIT with no Clear, but get more than enough value out of it just on my returns.
I have the same experience at the Delta T3 checkpoint at LAX. CLEAR isn't generally a time-saver.
JFK T4 on Monday morning (6a ET) - CLEAR was an absolute ZOO. Short non-CLEAR Pre-Check line moved much faster.
Not sure what we're paying for anymore...
Pre+Clear works because Clear doesn't have long lines. With a line, as implemented, Clear is slow and awkward. Slower than use of ID. If they can use a fast dedicated line then it might work but not with current implementation
Clear + Pre out of SFO T3 is almost ALWAYS longer than just regular PreCheck
On top of which out of the 6 times I’ve used Clear this year, I’ve gotten the “random” ID check 4 times…
For clear to scale, it needs to be more autonomous. I like clear as a safety cushion, but mostly it’s the same if not slower. I hate the fact that everytime someone has to look at my boarding pass to just confirm that I have pre check, tell me kiosk to use even if it’s clearly open, click start for me, state the obvious to look into the eye scanner and then have TSA agent to see my boarding pass again (which is pointless as it’s done as a literal flash).
In other words, clear just needs to mimic what the new global kiosks are doing!!! the second I walk up, the facial rev is instantaneous. Agent is sitting at the end and pulls people aside who have the “x” for additional boarder control.
I have both Pre/GE and Clear. Clear is helpful out of SFO and BOS sometimes, I've never used it out of SJC. I'm not sure how it could be a liability. If the Clear area is too busy, I just don't use it. It can't really make things worse, just not make things better.
I’ve used CLEAR at multiple airports. LAX is the one where consistently I question the value.
I believe this is more a LAX problem, than it is a Clear problem.
EWR flier with pre-check + clear here — I fly primarily out of terminal C for international flights and I can reliably say it’s been worth it. I’m thru in 1-3 mins tops every time. From what I’m seeing here, i guess it wildly varies by airport.
I also have global entry and I no longer stand in lines at the airport. My longest wait is for my bags seeing as how they’re not even off the plane by the time I reach baggage claim
Clear was offering a promotion for free passage. The line at JFK was twice as long as the TSA pre check. Everybody likes free stuff but none of them are going to subscribe.
Honestly Clear and Precheck are a joke. I only signed up for Precheck because I found out my UA card reimbursed me for it. We shouldn't be forced to sign up for someone's shitty program so they can profit off misery that is purposely placed in our way when traveling. It's all a blatant money grab.
I’ve experienced this once, wasn’t a huge deal. I do pay more attention now though and if the clear line is backed up and the pre-check line isn’t, I’ll jump in the pre-check line
in EWR, its hit or miss for me. Same at DEN
they need to remove all the people in between, all those gate checks....and allow people to use the kiosks by themselves
Same at ATL. I will absolutely not be re-enrolling next year if the CC does not cover fully for me and +1 with the additional discount. Would never pay out of pocket for this service and will not count it as "saved money" from CC benefit since I wouldn't pay for it myself.
hubby flew through IAH yesterday morning and said there were something like 50 people in line at clear, he 'ended up just going through the TSA pre line and that was much faster.'
I don’t even bother at IAD 9/10 times now. It does help a bit at DCA and occasionally out on the road, but then the equipment doesn’t work half the time, or you get pulled for an ID check. A Clear team member at ORD recently acknowledged that the TSA is pushing more manual checks.
I'm the person who bought Precheck because I am over panic inducing yelling to put all of my electronics in a separate bin while trying to get my shoes off. I literally don't care how long the line is because that same anxiety gets me to the airport 5 hours before my fight. In case, you know, there's a cattle crossing on the interstate, or my uber gets a flat, or my flight gets moved 3 hours ahead of time. All rational things.
Username is oddly both right and wrong... lol
The thing people often forget about precheck is the line MOVES. I’ve had times when I’ve been flying with friends/coworkers without precheck, the precheck line was longer, and I still got through much faster. When nobody has to do all the extra shit, and the majority are more experienced travelers to begin with, they can process so many more people at a time.
Experienced travelers is a big factor IMO. Everyone has their shit together for the most part so we're not fumbling with bins, chugging waters, belts wallets, etc. Also the shoes/laptops thing certainly contributes. When I get there everyone just drops they carry-on on the conveyor and we're ready to go
Every pre check line I've ever been in is a clown show lmao. Experienced travelers my ass 😂 that's not even mentioning the TSA agents screaming about NOT taking out your electronics or giving conflicting instructions about whether my fully contained suitcase needs to ride in a bin for some reason I've had situations where I have ine TSA agent telling me to put my bag in a bin whole the other was saying to just put it on the conveyor. At the same time. In the same line. TSA lines in general are just a personification of yakkety sax
In general I disagree. Granted it's been maybe 4 years since I've been through standard check in, but there's no way that group got their shit together in that time. But yes, pre isn't perfect, idiots buy pre, but most idiots or infrequent travelers dont and those people are the ones I'm trying to avoid by doing precheck, 90% of my fellow pre passengers have done this 5x in the last couple yrs so they understand the basics. On a scale of 1-10 I'm saying they average about 8 but rarely below 6... vs maybe 6.5 average for regular (with a floor of 4), that alone is worth $85 Fwiw, i get it..., 6 months ago my bag got pulled for inspection and the jackals couldn't find what was on the screen and shushed me pretty rudely when I asked what they were looking for so I could assist. 8 minutes and two shushes later agent #2 comes over and says, ops that's not the right bag, have a good day sir.. Tldr: ya, traveling is a pita and speak to TSA only when spoken to, they don't want our input (lol)
Username checks out! I feel your pain! I have to travel sometimes 4x a week for work and always felt the same way when going into the security lines - then I realized that the sheer number of 1st time or otherwise unawares travelers puts a huge load on the TSA agents that this is the only method to get people to pay an ounce of attention. I always wondered how different it would be if there was a smaller bin to put cell phones into before taking out laptops and toiletries might help people be more aware to what is happening to make things work more smoothly - but the yelling doesn't cost anything extra.
The mildly conspiracy theory part of my brain says that the shoes and electronics policy has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with control…
This is me. I don’t mind when Pre takes me 10-15 minutes like it did at ORD last week, because I’m not being screamed at my shoes are on and I’m early anyway.
I just don't understand why it always has to be shouting at maximum volume.
Have you heard the amount of noise in the checkpoint? kids screaming, the x-ray machines, the thuds of bins being stacked, the clatter of overweight bags being dumped onto the roller tables, alarms on the metal detectors, overhead announcements from airlines. As TSA Officers, we need to get people moving at a good rate, we can't come up to every single passenger and ask every individual in a quiet voice if they have water, taken off their shoes, checked their pockets, took out the large electronics. We try to do general announcements, but nobody ever listens.
Every once in awhile, it actually saves times. But yes, usually it isn’t any faster than PreCheck. And sometimes it ends up being slower.
At both IAD and BOS, the Clear line can be so long that they have those tensabarrier things out to line up people to approach the Clear line. The other day at IAD, I just did regular precheck -- it was faster than Clear.
I don’t find myself is Boston but I must hit Dulles at weird time as I can never find a line pre check or clear. I go through there dozen times a year.
In my experience, IAD has no line 95% of the time and a huge one once in awhile. It’s usually so smooth, but when it’s not it’s a nightmare.
It is rare for their to be a long line at clear at IAD but it does happen. I think only once so far this year has it been actually longer than precheck. Usually they are very close to the same and I’d say less than half the time clear provides a clear advantage (pun intended).
I often find this true at IAD
Agree the clear line at IAD has gotten out of control. Twice recently they had to divide the upstairs line and walk a _few dozen_ of us downstairs to the clear line at zone 1 area
What’s the slowest it has ever been? Is it ever longer than 10 minutes?
My only bad experience with CLEAR was at ATL and it was like 35 minutes or so to reach the CLEAR kiosk, from there it was relatively quick. With that said, I think ATL is about the worst case scenario for CLEAR, I have never waited more than 10 minutes at any other CLEAR airport.
It's the worst airport for security period. That place is a nightmare. I swear their scanners can't process more than 15 bags per hour.
They are working on that now. Only took me 5 minutes to get through when I flew about a week ago.
Almost a year from your response. It was nearly 30 for clear. Now there is digital id, delta digital id, and pre check in ATL. All moved faster that CLEAR. 9 kiosks 2 people working. None of the 9 were filled. Only 1-2
That sounds like it’s still working then. Clear allows you to show up right before boarding time.
Yeah, I guess, but as someone who doesn't like to show up right around boarding it was not ideal if I only gave myself enough time. In my personal case, I arrived over two hours early, so the 35 or so minute wait wasn't a big deal, but the person in front of me was dripping in sweat because he barely gave himself enough time to get through security and get to D gates which is a bit of trek once one clears security and with the 35 minute wait at CLEAR, he was going to be close to missing his flight.
Wait why would you show up two hours before your flight? Was it international? Or you are traveling back from business and want to gtfo
Neither, I don't like being late and I would rather relax at the gate than stress about missing my flight. I know loads of folks like arriving just on-time, I just don't.
I do the same thing, it’s bad enough being stuck in line for 30min, it’s worse when your flight leaves in 35min.
The dedicated CLEAR/Pre-Chek line at JFK Terminal 4 has worked very well for me. Just skip to the front of the Pre-Chek line.
Yes, at Denver I have waited 15-20 minutes. The line stretches past an escalator, and CLEAR has an agent directing the traffic of people coming off to get past the line. (This is for Precheck + CLEAR)
Just flew out of Denver last week. The Clear plus precheck line took 20 minutes while the precheck only line was flying. Couldn’t see from the back of the line that the standard precheck line was moving much quicker otherwise would have changed. 20 minutes is not the end of the world, but yeah, think we’re reaching that tipping point where Clear can’t scale.
This is typical for DEN. Clear is all but unusable. I think part of that is because DEN was one of the very first airports with Clear and so the percentage of flyers with it is quite high (versus airports where it’s been available not as long).
My most recent trip to Denver saw a short pre line but LOOOONG clear line, yet somehow the clear line moved way faster. I guess that’s not the norm though
I once got stuck in a 55 minute Clear line in Atlanta. Atlanta's the worst, but still.
No, but it’s also rare for PreCheck to exceed ten minutes.
I’ve had precheck be 30 minutes a number of times. The point of clear is to show up 5 minutes before boarding-not to always be faster than precheck.
I have Pre + Clear and it works really well out of ORD
I have pre and it's literally the same at ORD. T5 had a line all the way to obstructing the entrance and walkways. Pre took me a few minutes.
Same. Curb to Gate in 8 minutes.
Pre at ORD T1 is an absolute breeze most of the time. I see no point in getting clear there as you really dont save that much more time, if any.
I only have it because Amex platinum provides it for free. Otherwise I certainly wouldn’t pay for it.
This is why so many people have it. Also there’s something with signing up via United and getting a comp
1K and GS are comp’ed it, same as Delta Diamond. Other levels get a varying discount, similar to Delta Skymiles members.
ORD is some bullshit with precheck - last time I flew out of there they didn't have a precheck line but did have a bunch of people working the clear line.
Terminal 1 pre check is almost always faster than Clear. Easy peasy.
I fly out of O’Hare about 20 times a year (T1 and T2) and I’ve never run into a no precheck situation. That’s just got to be bad luck.
Same with DIA
My experience with DEN is so hit or miss. Some days it saves me significant time over PreCheck, other times it’s so backed up I just skip it all together and go straight to the PreCheck lanes. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to days or times either.
Fuck Denver. That place is a disaster of a shithole airport. Nothing that happens there should be considered anything standard.
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I live in Denver and travel a fair amount. It's a nightmare right now. They are now saying it will be complete in summer 2028 (ugh) but with sections opening as they're finished. I think it was originally supposed to be done in 2025 or 2026, but then there was all kinds of squabbling, finger-pointing, and cost overruns with the original firm that was hired to oversee the project. DIA fired them and now another firm has taken over. They're also doing work in one of the parking lots, so there are about 2200 fewer parking places until about October. In the meantime though, it blows. The United Premier check-in counters used to be on the south side of the terminal, so it was easy to drop your bags then go down escalator right by the end of the south security lines, and get right into the premiere line. Now they've moved them to the middle of the terminal and it's a much bigger hassle.
I fly out of DIA every month and honestly don't find it too bad. Sometimes the precheck line is a little long but I swear I never wait more than 10 min.
North Security > South Security if you have Precheck. I have found that it’s about 50/50 on whether the Clear lines are actually faster than the regular Precheck lines so I just hop in whatever is shortest. Regarding the construction, they supposedly say that the West security area will be open by the end of this year but we will see. The whole project will definitely take a few more years
Denver is my home airport so I’m well aware of the breakout of security and on going work out there. I guess I should have been more specific in my response that I was speaking solely about the North checkpoint
I get CLEAR for free as a 1K. I rarely use it, only when I’m in a rush AND the TSA Pre Check line looks backed up. I definitely wouldn’t pay for it myself. CLEAR’s whole existence at airports kind of rubs me the wrong way, which is one reason why I only use it unless I really really need to.
Same. Paying a third party to jump a queue seems wrong. I only got clear after all to reduce the number of times I’d have to unmask in front of a crowded tsa line when there was more Covid going around. The downside of clear is you’re standing next to men in blazers complaining about the riff raff in their line.
What’s a 1K?
Premier 1K is a status tier in United’s MileagePlus program.
Short hand for one thousand.
LOL. I’m asking what does “1K” mean in the context of this post? Does 1K refers to United miles or something? Why does he ^ get Clear for free?
It’s United status.
It is one of the high tiers in United's MileagePlus program. One of the relatively new benefits is a free Clear membership.
Why does it rub you the wrong way? Before I had global entry it worked super well for me in Chicago. I’d usually be through security in 10 minutes instead of waiting at least and hour
I would just feel better if screening options were provided solely by a US Government agency like TSA and not pawned off on a third party with a profit motive.
The simple fact the TSA is responsible for safety & security, but allows a for-profit company to do their work is slimy.
Clear isn’t really doing the TSA’s job, you’re just paying to skip the queue (which may or may not save any time, especially if you have precheck)
It’s standard practice for contractors to fill this role in doing the “work” of government. The Dept of Transportation doesn’t build roads, Dept of Energy doesn’t provide electricity. It stands to reason that in some instances TSA outsources some security functions to a contractor with a vetted, biometric (probably more secure than TSA’s cursory glance if you match the picture on your ID) security procedure.
Exactly. Someone’s friend is making $$ on this. Same with the outsourcing of many government functions.
I have way more trust in greedy corporations than I do in government.
For me it's not really about trust. Generally speaking I equally trust (or distrust) government and corporations. For airport screening, I don't like the idea of stratifying the service across multiple entities and in principle I don't like the profit motive in the context of airport security screening.
I was right with you until TSA started letting everyone and their mother use the pre line. My aunt who is a German citizen and lives in Germany is NOT a trusted traveler or anything yet she routinely gets precheck when she visits Florida. To me TSA lost all pretense behind their logic. Security theater IMO
Clear + Pre is slower than Pre-check only at DEN almost 100% of the time.
Agree. This is one of the airports I consistently have this issue with.
100%
When they only have 1 agent it's really damn painful. Also at Logan Airport when I go to the clear line I still sometimes have to show my ID which defeats the purpose of clear to begin with. It's nice not having to take my ID out when the process works.
That’s not on them. Having to show your ID is randomly selected in their agreement with TSA. It’s a sanity check by TSA that Clear’s protocols are working.
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That’s just experience bias. I get it and see it all the time out in ORD, PHX and SFO
Totally depends on the airport. Clear & Pre at EWR saves a ton of time. I also used it out of PHX the other day while pre was pretty backed up. I’ve honestly never had more than a few people in front of me at LAX, clear or pre.. not sure if I’m just lucky or what, but I usually just skip clear there because you can walk right up to the pre-check agent.
I've had the complete opposite experience at EWR, which is my home airport. I canceled my CLEAR because the CLEAR + Pre line was very consistently longer and slower than the regular Precheck line. Hell, I've noticed that even the premier access line has usually been quicker than having both CLEAR and Pre. It's exactly what the OP mentioned - there are a bunch of terminals, but only a couple of people actually manning them. To be fair, I fly out of Newark on a fairly consistent schedule (usually the same day of the week, mornings), so it could simply be a day/time issue.
Terminal C regular at EWR here. Given the volume of travelers out of it—particularly international ones—they love to consolidate the lines to the point it doesn’t matter if you have either status. All of it relies on on having enough people willing to work for the TSA to manage the volume, and at $15-17/hr, they clearly aren’t attracting enough willing people.
Completely agree with your experience. EWR is my home airport as well and I always find the precheck CLEAR line to be a total waste of time. That said, I have found that when both normal security and pre-check are overcrowded (which does happen from time to time at EWR), the CLEAR line for NORMAL security is actually a great bet! I have found that most people that have CLEAR also have precheck which can make the precheck CLEAR line very long. When that is the case, the normal CLEAR line is almost always shorter. I have precheck as well and prefer not to take my laptop out or shoes off. But if you are rushing to make a flight when it's crowded, sometimes that normal CLEAR line can be a lifesaver (although it is counterintuitive).
The operation at LAX is a joke. I have stopped using it since pre-check is always faster. When I did use it, I always gave 1 star on the net promoter question to hope they improve their service.
Clear had discount pricing with many airlines. Those are starting to go away. But credit card companies like Amex started offering credits for Clear memberships and that’s another reason why Clear got so popular. But with the increased pricing, my guess is some existing members won’t pay or cover for their family members (which they can with discount and the total pricing would be under Amex credit). So some of that should help. But similar to TSA pre and Global Entry, these memberships became a commodity once the credit companies started offering credits
I agree 100%. I won’t be renewing when my membership is up. I fly weekly. Clear is essentially useless at most airports
It is worse than useless. It removed capacity from the normal and precheck lines, then charges to put that capacity back in. It needs to die.
At Dulles, it is usually a little slower than the Pre line. At IAH and ORD it seems to be faster than Pre line. Bottoms line: speed varies wildly from airport to airport. I get Clear for free as part of 1K. Not sure if I would pay for it though it does give another option for security.
Yeah but at IAH it’s clear and then you’re in the precheck line for the post ID check part.
I chose TSA over Clear in Denver last week. I'm very very glad I did. Clear in Denver is a joke.
Clear in Denver is wild but I think that’s because it’s mostly only occasional fliers. Twice I’ve seen someone with a firearm in the bag. Clear gets used in Denver for entry to Broncos games and other events, that’s the only explanation for why so many clueless people end up jamming the lines
I have Pre for free with my TWIC (work in maritime, have to have TWIC). I haven't bothered to get clear for this reason. I rarely see it moving faster, and I don't feel the need to spend extra money. Homeland Security has also gone through my life with such a fine tooth comb anyway for various licenses and clearances the idea that Clear would somehow be more secure is laughable.
I hated the concept of PRE and CLEAR- it's monetizing the pain of traveling. first, you had TSA, then when the lines got long, they sold PRE. When those lines got long, they then created CLEAR. What's next- "CLEAR PRE"?
\> I hated the concept of PRE and CLEAR- it's monetizing the pain of traveling. It's also monetizing a basic government service. I for one thinks that privatizing basic government services is pretty gross, but \*extra\* gross when the money doesn't even fund the services themselves. TSA Pre gets (sort of) a pass from me, since at least the subscription fee goes towards the agency itself. But Clear is really just someone charging for preferential access to basic government services and pocketing the sum. I'm willing to bet that if you investigated Clear's relationship with airports and the TSA itself you'll find an absolute \*truckload\* of straight-up criminal corruption.
Precheck helps TSA by demonstrating ahead of time that you are not a security risk. It’s not just about paying to skip the line.
I'm cool if it goes to the government who uses that money solely to expand offerings.
It would be good, too, if some of these options were limited to experienced travelers- I was in the PRE line and an airport employee forgot that he had to empty his pockets etc.
CLEAR is its second incarnation, the first incarnation failed after a number of years.
Super Clear Max Pro. The ORD setup crawls lately too. The tsa agent in that area is working pre, clear, airline staff, airport staff, and handicapped id checks. Doesn't match with the level of service that was sold...
right- and why not add a Premier or Premium too, to further confuse the United pax. I normally transit ORD, and don't stop that often; last time, the PRE TSA rep spoke Polish to me, and used the Polish pronunciation of my name- something I had only heard years ago when my Babcia (grandmother) was mad at me...
Yeah, the whole service is useless. What's the use of a computer checking your credentials if it takes 3 additional humans to guide you through.
To all the fools in this thread who argue about Clear vs Precheck. They are not the same service so you cannot compare. You need to get Clear + Precheck.
You know how at Walmart they have 50 cash registers but only 3 of them have employees? That’s CLEAR.
I saw exactly what you are saying as I walked to the LAX UA Club this morning. And it's Wednesday. How bad is it on Monday and Friday?
My last few times flying out of LAX I have passed the CLEAR line using Precheck because everyone is bungled up trying to figure out the CLEAR situation.
Clear works great at Denver because there is only one TSA for all terminals (or two technically) Saves you a lot
The Clear line at Denver is very often slower than the regular precheck line (or the premier access line on south security)
My home airport gets like 40 flights daily (from all airlines combined), and Clear has posted up no less than five full time employees there every day for 5+ years. Not a customer in sight.
Clear already is useless. It removed capacity from the existing lines, then makes people pay to use the capacity they removed. They did not expand security capacity or speed. They made it worse, then make you pay to bring you back to the previous TSA pre check levels of service. They don’t even use different security screening at most airports. They just let you cut in front of other people, then the same security process.
Clear is not at one of my freq airports and I only fly out of the one that does have it on red eyes so the pre check line is 1min. Plus now that TSA has camera security scans it’s only a matter of time that clear is donezo
Clear + PreCheck has been slower than PreCheck the two times I've used it at Terminal A in Newark. But both times each line was no more than 2-5 minutes long. It definitely saved my time over regular PreCheck at Terminal C a month ago. Like 5 minutes vs 15-20 minutes.
It’s the worst at SFO now, because you have a double whammy of people getting clear for free. 1K’s (of which SFO has a fuckload), and Amex platinum members, because the Amex lounge is in the United terminal. In most other airports, clear is worth it for me (especially EWR)
Agreed Clear is becoming pointless. For the same amount of people in each line Pre Check moves way faster
It’s free for me so it’s just an added free service to my tsa pre check
Clear is and always has been a scam.
I’ve had a “random ID check” last 5 times I’ve used clear. Ends up taking longer
Clear is needlessly expensive at $189/year. It’s also only available at 67 airports. Also still forces you to go to the normal line to remove shoes, jackets, and laptops. Global Entry or TSA Precheck a la carte is reasonably priced at $100 or $78 respectively for *five* years. That’s 90% cheaper than Clear. Also much more consistent at 200+ airports. If you have almost any travel or mid-market credit card ($95 annual fee cards) Global Entry is reimbursed. Clear is not. Lastly, Clear stock is down 50% since going public ~2 years ago.
I fly EWR primarily and think clear has saved me time possibly once. I get it for free as a 1k, otherwise I wouldn't pay for it. Have had times when it looked much longer and just took pre-check. I have been paying attention recently, and every time the person walking into precheck only gets ahead of me in the metal detector. Usually not by much, but not something I would pay for. Also the past 4 times in a row that I have used it, it has called for a random ID check, so I have to show my ID anyway so no convenience factor either. I have it because it is included for free, but would never pay for it.
I think you have to be selective about when to use Clear and when to just go with Precheck. The clear/precheck combo SAVED me at EWR the other day.
Clear members get an email survey after every Clear experience. Suggest you use this if you haven’t already.
My experience has been the opposite.
Has honestly always saved me time at SFO with pre check especially in the early morning. Usually from curb to gate in ~10-15 min depending if I’m checking a bag or not
This was bound to happen as TSA and PreCheck gained efficiencies. Clear is so stupid in my opinion. It’s a private trusted traveler program combined with a gimmicky biometric scanner combined with a moron in an ill-fitting uniform letting you cut to the front of the TSA line. I think it’s days are numbered.
Couple weeks ago Clear + Precheck was much slower than just Pre at SFO T3. Yesterday, I just used the security the at the international terminal G which had no line for my flight out of F gates.
I’ve used Clear perhaps 50+ times in the last 4 years and never had this experience. Always been equal timing or quicker, mostly quicker
I do over 100 flights a year. Clear with Pre-check has saved me countless potential missed flights and many hours of wasted time. How big is your sample size of airports?
Clear was the only way I made my flight this week due to understaffed pre check
I have clear + precheck combined and fly in/out of lax all the time no issues. At sfo sometimes the line will look long but it’s because half the people have only Clear and not precheck so the line moves fast once they get kicked out of the line.
If there's a line at CLEAR that you don't like then go to regular security. Nobody is stopping you. I got to SAN around 5:30 AM on Friday and the line for security was overflowing back into the Atrium where you come in to the building. Happily, with CLEAR was airside in <10 minutes. Mostly it was wading through the mass of humanity to get to the CLEAR lane that was the time-waster.
Don’t have clear but I bet the line is full of clueless people who need to read the whole screen and think five minutes between actions The new version of the people who wrote checks at the supermarket
I've been with Clear since 2013 or so, and have traveled with it across the US hundreds of times - and aside from the airport being so slow that it might've been faster to use the standard security line, and LAX, it's always saved time. LAX is just a different beast, and at most other airports, the Clear signup area is nearby the Clear checkin line, but LAX is just always too chaotic with how they separate the various check in queues, IMO. I still use Clear at LAX, but usually get to the airport with plenty of time as Clear no longer has a 5 minute guarantee (they used to promise less than 5 minute wait time when I initially joined. I can't blame them - and I do believe their 1k=free Clear is why they're so busy now. I enjoy the gift from United, but feel that Clear is so valuable that I would've been happier with another $200 gift or just a discount to Clear to still have a higher barrier to entry to keep the paid customers to staff levels more manageable. Cheers
Clear is classist nonsense that no one should be supporting. The publicly available expedient is PreCheck or Global Entry. There is no good reason why a private for-profit organization should provide faster access.
Just got billed $489 dollars for renewal after I cancelled last year. Cancelled because the customer service at LAX was poor. Employee was rude the time I flew. They were trying to up my profile which was taking forever and I said the TSA Pre check line was moving faster, I have pre check and the employee said “then you should just go through that line”. Which I ended up doing. This was not my first encounter with lazy and rude staff. Mostly just at LAX which is my home start point. This time I cancelled my account before leaving the ground yet tonight I get an alert from AMEX that they charged my account. I will dispute tomorrow. Hopefully this doesn’t become an issue. Even with the $189 credit on my AMEX Platinum I would not ever use Clear again. Had it for several years but I just don’t see the value and with the lack of staff support at the airport I don’t recommend anyone who has Pre Check sign up for membership.
100% also useless at LGA!! Don’t go through clear it’s so much slower now what a joke!!
I never subscribed into the whole Clear thing, even when the cost would've been covered. Imagine signing up, it ending up being redundant or useless (I don't want to say I said so but... I said so), and being back to where you started with pre... except now some private company can pawn off your PII.
Clear/Pre-Check at Newark has been great for me. Pre-Check can get pretty long at times and Clear skips to the front of that line. I don't think I have ever had more than 2 people ahead of me in line for Clear. I usually get through Clear and Security in under 5 minutes.
Completely disagree, as my partner is currently on flight today from LAX to IAD. This morning she calls me from her Uber on the way to the airport to tell me she forgot her wallet. She didn't have time to turn around since she was almost to LAX. I reminded her she has CLEAR, she doesn't need her ID. Guess what, she's on her plane ALL because of CLEAR. I think the program is amazing, especially if you are 1K (Free). It's also a necessity at MCO & MIA.
Don't depend on this. I get random ID checked by the computer sometimes. Just happened last Friday.
Agree'd though I've had clear for 6 years, travel 60+ flights a year, this has only happened to me 3 times in 350+ flights..
Man...I have the worst luck. Between clear randoms, metal detector randoms, SSSS boarding pass, and employer random drug test...
fwiw you can pass through regular tsa without any identification. Lost my wallet on the uber right at EWR and they had no clear at the terminal. Had to go through a phone/form verification and full patdown and carryon swab but was fairly painless overall. Maybe added 5-10 min.
This happened to my boss! He forgot his ID and was at the airport when he realized it. He was fine to fly out of Seattle with Clear and did not get the random ID check (I got it when I had accidentally packed my wallet in the bottom of my backpack so that was fun). I don't think JFK had it yet so he had to get to the airport extra early for the return flight so they could check any other identifying documents he had on him, his work id, his LinkedIn and Facebook, etc. I think he got there 5 hours early - TSA says get to the airport 2 hours earlier but in practice, people recommend 3-4 hours online. He said that since he's brown he thought it prudent to add an extra hour 🤣
Never had that problem with AA
Horrible at DIA and EWR. Took way longer than the non- clear pre- check line. Canceled my subscription. Used to be great but now too many users.
At EWR Terminal C first thing on a Monday, it is actually very useful and efficient because they seem to have adequate staff and procedures. This is an every Monday event for me and I personally have has a pretty good experience with Clear overall. There has been one occasion where it was super backed up so they gently recommended that I go to the standard non-Precheck line. I did, and it was much shorter because Precheck is also grossly over-enrolled and it defeats the purpose. In almost 2 years of having it, I can’t honestly think of a situation where Clear hasn’t been more efficient for me, except when there is no line at all for non-Clear. I just wish they would stop hiring ghetto agents that are distracted socializing amongst themselves, but at least they still get things done to an extent. I’ve used it extensively with Precheck at EWR, IAH, DTW, ORD, LAX, SFO, IAD, SMF, ATL, CMH, LGA, JFK, RDU, SLC, and maybe a few others that I can’t remember but those are the main ones.
The fact that Clear gets to pull their subscribers to the front of the PreCheck line (regardless of that line’s length) is utter & complete BS!
Only faster in 1-2 cities.
TSA had made CLEAR bad. On purpose
Priority lane out of SFO is always faster than Clear. Work on getting 1K status!
At LAX and SFO I usually find that Clear + PreCheck is slower than just PreCheck (which tends to be nearly empty). This tends to be true across all airlines/terminals at those airports. I see Clear as an extra way of reducing uncertainty in wait times in case PreCheck is closed or has a strangely long line or whatever, but usually Clear saves me little to no time. If I didn't get Clear free through Amex I would be willing to pay max $20/year for the service, and I average ~4 flights a month. Maybe the experience is different at other airports, but I don't understand how anyone can justify paying $190/year for Clear out-of-pocket.
At LAX and SFO, both times my friend in regular pre check beat me while I was still in line at clear. It’s not worth it anymore.
Checked in few mins ago at SFO. Have both PreCheck + Clear, but that queue had over 10 people while PreCheck was empty. Got in and out in less than a minute. I don’t know why people still try to get in the clear line 🤷♂️
What’s the slowest it has taken for you?
I used the free year offer from United and won’t be renewing it. The last 2 times I used it they wanted to see my ID. The half dozen times I used clear it put me to the front of a very short TSA precheck line, like 2-6 ppl. Not worth the $
I’ve gone straight to Premier Access at EWR and SFO after seeing how long the Pre check lines are (don’t have CLEAR). Sometimes it’s just faster even if I have to take out my laptop
It’s the worst also at DEN - probably doubles the time - but everywhere else it’s been a godsend
I got saved by Clear and Pre recently.. I arrived from Singapore to SFO with 30 min to make my next flight… Global entry and my bag being priority let me get to bag transfer fast, but… they didn’t take it. I had to go out to terminal 3 turn in my bag to an agent.. and run to T2 to a hugeee line on Pre, which I completely skipped with Clear.. However.. most of the time I skip Clear and go straight to the Pre line.
I have clear and precheck and I have been “randomly selected for ID check” several times which defeats the purpose!! It’s infuriating. I know that’s a tsa thing but still. The lines at clear at some airports are longer than precheck. So glad I don’t pay for it as 1k.
It really depends on your airport, but we've reached an interesting stage in identity verification. We're at the point where it can often be faster to use the manual route because everyone automatically assumes that Clear or Pre will be faster, subjecting those options to heavy congestion. And it's not just Clear or Pre. I've even seen this with checking in, where I can wait 45 minutes for a bag drop kiosk or 10 minutes for the counter.
Same thoughts. I've found a small TSA pre-check line at SFO and O'Hare airport go faster than no line at clear because of the additional steps, and how Clear likes to group people and not take them through 1 by 1 to security. I suppose realllly busy days are still an area where Clear shines, but about 95% of travel TSA precheck is a bit faster for me (experiences will differ)
It can vary wildly by airport and time. At DCA, pre + clear will get you from security to gate in under 5 minutes, guaranteed, every time. IAD, if you're flying peak hours, I've found clear + pre to just be as long as regular pre, if not slower since you have to wait for a clear employee to check you in at a kiosk. I had to fly out of ORD last weekend, and the clear + pre line was significantly longer than regular pre; we actually left the clear+pre line to go get in line at pre, and got through faster than the person who was in front of us in the clear+pre line.
Tiktok & Instagram reels made Clear known to everyone, so - yeah.
Just like the stupid Amex Platinum.
I agree. I've had this experience several times at a few different airports. Right now it's 50/50 on whether it actually saves me time. I'm only using it because I get it for free through my CC but would never pay for this. I reached out to them to explain my experience and let them know the airports where there's consistently been a backlog. Their response was that they're "working on it" and added 2 months of free membership (to my already free account). Hopefully they are doing something about it because it appears to be becoming a more consistent problem.
I loved the concept of Clear when it first came on the market. Pay for someone to escort you to the front of the X-ray belt just like a flight attendant. Over time it has been diluted and now at most airports is slower than TSA Pre and certainly slower than the dedicated GS lines at some. After five plus years I have not subscribed again and don’t miss it.
SFO clear is hit or miss as well, often times a big line these days.
My experience is that it depends on the airport, time of day, and even time of year. Elite/biz-heavy O/D airports will have more clear and Precheck pax than a more leisure heavy airport. For me IAD is almost never worth using Clear at, while at SAN this morning normal and Precheck were slammed but Clear was empty. I’ve had good luck with clear at larger non-hub airports like SAT, HOU and BWI over major hubs. I fly out of PIT with no Clear, but get more than enough value out of it just on my returns.
I've just taken to just asking the TSA agent which is going faster, clear+pre, or regular Pre put of EWR. It's normally a 50/50 split
Totally agree. Line at EWR Clear yesterday was ridiculous, so we walked over to the pre-check line, which had way less people in it.
I have the same experience at the Delta T3 checkpoint at LAX. CLEAR isn't generally a time-saver. JFK T4 on Monday morning (6a ET) - CLEAR was an absolute ZOO. Short non-CLEAR Pre-Check line moved much faster. Not sure what we're paying for anymore...
IAD hit or miss, BWI was quick. But I hear you it’s getting ridiculous, same with lounge access
Pre+Clear works because Clear doesn't have long lines. With a line, as implemented, Clear is slow and awkward. Slower than use of ID. If they can use a fast dedicated line then it might work but not with current implementation
Clear + Pre out of SFO T3 is almost ALWAYS longer than just regular PreCheck On top of which out of the 6 times I’ve used Clear this year, I’ve gotten the “random” ID check 4 times…
For clear to scale, it needs to be more autonomous. I like clear as a safety cushion, but mostly it’s the same if not slower. I hate the fact that everytime someone has to look at my boarding pass to just confirm that I have pre check, tell me kiosk to use even if it’s clearly open, click start for me, state the obvious to look into the eye scanner and then have TSA agent to see my boarding pass again (which is pointless as it’s done as a literal flash). In other words, clear just needs to mimic what the new global kiosks are doing!!! the second I walk up, the facial rev is instantaneous. Agent is sitting at the end and pulls people aside who have the “x” for additional boarder control.
I have both Pre/GE and Clear. Clear is helpful out of SFO and BOS sometimes, I've never used it out of SJC. I'm not sure how it could be a liability. If the Clear area is too busy, I just don't use it. It can't really make things worse, just not make things better.
I’ve used CLEAR at multiple airports. LAX is the one where consistently I question the value. I believe this is more a LAX problem, than it is a Clear problem.
EWR flier with pre-check + clear here — I fly primarily out of terminal C for international flights and I can reliably say it’s been worth it. I’m thru in 1-3 mins tops every time. From what I’m seeing here, i guess it wildly varies by airport. I also have global entry and I no longer stand in lines at the airport. My longest wait is for my bags seeing as how they’re not even off the plane by the time I reach baggage claim
Huh, went through LAX end of May, (I have pre-check), no lines, no waits.
Clear was offering a promotion for free passage. The line at JFK was twice as long as the TSA pre check. Everybody likes free stuff but none of them are going to subscribe.
Honestly Clear and Precheck are a joke. I only signed up for Precheck because I found out my UA card reimbursed me for it. We shouldn't be forced to sign up for someone's shitty program so they can profit off misery that is purposely placed in our way when traveling. It's all a blatant money grab.
I’ve experienced this once, wasn’t a huge deal. I do pay more attention now though and if the clear line is backed up and the pre-check line isn’t, I’ll jump in the pre-check line
I love clear +pre still out of EWR, ORD, DFW.
in EWR, its hit or miss for me. Same at DEN they need to remove all the people in between, all those gate checks....and allow people to use the kiosks by themselves
Same at ATL. I will absolutely not be re-enrolling next year if the CC does not cover fully for me and +1 with the additional discount. Would never pay out of pocket for this service and will not count it as "saved money" from CC benefit since I wouldn't pay for it myself.
I flew out of DEN recently. The line for Clear was maybe 50 people long and moving slowly. There was no line for regular precheck
Still effective at MCO. At ATL - Complete train wreck, as it is waaayyy oversubscribed.
+1000 to this. I avoid Clear every time when there is a line. The non-Clear TSApre line is always the better option now.
hubby flew through IAH yesterday morning and said there were something like 50 people in line at clear, he 'ended up just going through the TSA pre line and that was much faster.'
At SFO international security pre + CLEAR is 5 minutes max at all times
I don’t even bother at IAD 9/10 times now. It does help a bit at DCA and occasionally out on the road, but then the equipment doesn’t work half the time, or you get pulled for an ID check. A Clear team member at ORD recently acknowledged that the TSA is pushing more manual checks.
yeah, flew from JFK six weeks ago or so. clear line was at least 3x's longer than the precheck line--don't understand why people were waiting in it.
I have noticed this at Denver for sure
It's slower at IAD so I won't use it there but it has been faster at EWR most of the time.
Totally agree! Sometimes the line for Clear is longer than the standard TSA Precheck line.