A "concierge service" that lets paying members bypass airport security lines is unfair to other travelers, California lawmaker says.

A new bill, the first of its kind in the U.S., would ban security screening company Clear from operating at California airports as lawmakers take aim at companies that let consumers pay to pass through security ahead of other travelers.

Sen. Josh Newman, a California Democrat and the sponsor of the legislation, said Clear effectively lets wealthier people skip in front of passengers who have been waiting to be screened by Transportation Security Administration agents.

“It’s a basic equity issue when you see people subscribed to a concierge service being escorted in front of people who have waited a long time to get to the front of TSA line,” Newman told CBS MoneyWatch. “Everyone is beaten down by the travel experience, and if Clear escorts a customer in front of you and tells TSA, ‘Sorry, I have someone better,’ it’s really frustrating.”

If passed, the bill would bar Clear, a private security clearance company founded in 2010, from airports in California. Clear charges members $189 per year to verify passengers’ identities at airports and escort them through security, allowing them to bypass TSA checkpoints. The service is in use at roughly 50 airports across the U.S., as well as at dozens of sports stadiums and other venues.

  • Pumpkin Escobar@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    2 months ago

    Can I ask what the better working system would look like? I’ve seen plenty of the stories about TSA lapses, obviously security at the airports isn’t fun, but I’m not sure what an alternative system that works would look like.

    • rusticus@lemm.ee
      65·
      2 months ago

      Disband TSA. It’s never been shown to improve safety and I’ve always argued congregating all the passengers in one place before screening is the greatest security risk in the entire airport. Anybody could walk into the security lines with a gun or explosive device, causing maximal damage.

      • Pumpkin Escobar@lemmy.worldEnglish
        32·
        2 months ago

        Just to check, is the suggestion to get rid of TSA and not replace it? i.e. no security screening at the airports?

        Is there any country on the planet anymore where that’s a thing? Any example of a working version of what you’re proposing (if I’m reading it right)?

        Also

        Disband TSA. It’s never been shown to improve safety

        That sounds pretty far from true. The only way this is true is if TSA procedures have never prevented a single gun, bomb, etc… past a security checkpoint.

        As reported by the TSA they stopped 6737 firearms, 93% of them loaded from getting into secure areas… in 2023 alone. They also conducted a passenger survey where 93% of passengers said they were satisfied with experience, 94% confident in TSA’s ability to keep air travel secure

        Conducted a passenger experience survey with a sample size of 13,000 travelers at multiple airports across the nation. Survey results revealed that 93% of travelers were satisfied with the passenger experience and 94% of the respondents were confident in TSA’s ability to keep air travel secure.

        I’m not sure what percentage of the 93% would feel the same way, but I will say if the TSA went away tomorrow with no replacement I’d no longer be flying on any airline that was unscreened.