Flying may not be an explicit right but traveling without being fettered by onerous Government restrictions is.

Lets play a game...how many times will this post show up in the DL fourm today?

Clear Ceases Operations

This is the now the 4th new post on this in the last 24 hours....when is this gonna stop?

Wow! This is at least the fourth post today on this subject. Why does everyone assume that Clear ceasing operations is a Delta specific subject? Does no one even read the Newstand Forum?

If you want to follow this thread, it'll be in found in Newstand momentarily.

IB too has my credit card numbers, address, even my favorite airline and hotel as well as a host of other personal data I've turned over to them. And this place is run by a MADMAN!!!!! :D

That's the price of living in the digital age. If sharing that data with a service providor gets me an ad-free FT experience or a guaranteed short line at the airport, well, small price to pay imho.

Again, what are they going to do: sell my iris code to the Chinese mafia!?!? Please. That 411 and $5 will get them a latte.

Are you morally opposed to First and Business class airplane tickets? Those are exactly the same as the Clear concept: pay more, get to use the same services but get more attention without having to stand in line. @:-)

And if you don't like HOT lanes, you are going to HATE the Capital Beltway in a year or two... :eek: ;)

Nearly every airline ticket is non-transferrable thus the airline is protecting themselves by checking your ID. Know those nice low fares you find from time to time? Wouldn't it suck if they were all bought by scalpers and you had to deal with scalpers and agents to get an airline ticket? Because that's what happens the day you stop checking IDs. The fact is, airline seats are FAR more limited than train, ferry, subways, busses, etc. If Greyhound was selling out it's Atlanta-Charlotte bus everyday, they'd add another bus because that costs about $250K. Delta can't add another flight without astronomical infrastructure costs.

There is also the matter of the FF program. The airline can't prevent FF fraud if ID is never checked...though it'd make mileage runs pretty easy!

I get it. You shouldn't have to show ID to travel. Also, all the kittens and puppies in the pound shouldn't meet their maker by toxic gas today. It's a similar necessary evil. Make no mistake about it, you're showing your ID to the airline at security, not the TSA guy. It's a farmed out service. Personally, I'd rather not have every family member, friend, or (if I'm flying through LAX) member of the media loitering around the gates. It's hard enough to find seating at some airports. If you'd agree that it's ok to have to show your ID to a private firm for their servce, there is no arguement here.

Obviously Not

Clear had a brilliant business plan.

Stage 1: get a quarter of a million successful, well employed people to pay you $200 each for the right to give you huge amounts of personal data, including fingerprints.

Stage 2: sell all that data to the highest bidder.

Their business plan is elegant; it's clear and simplicity.

Nope - not the same. F and C/J are things you purchase from a private company if you want that level of service. CLEAR bypassed something we all have to go through, which we all pay for to the fed ... airlines pay for the premium/elite lines - and access is their right to distribute. That access is more often earned (and I have no problem saying F/C psgrs access is questionable, but the airlines would fight on that one as they offer it as a perk when available) than not. Airlines are a private entity not the federal security process.

And yes, it was exactly the beltway I was thinking of when I added the note - and yes, already hate it. It looks totally bald around Tysons - sad to see all those trees get killed for such a poor cause

Good riddance - about time CLEAR went out of business. It was a pointless program, anyway. :td:

I love that we went from Clear possibly not protecting the data, to their selling the data being a part of their business plan. You and your fellow detractors are just sad.

You've just made it clear you don't know what you're talking about. You should probably find another thread.

You're missing the point tho - IB is still in business. CLEAR is liquidating and they have far more personal data on you than IB could dream of with no plan or even inclination to protect that data.

You would be right if Clear paid the TSA to establish an additional check point for its members. In that case, in fact, Clear would even be providing a service to non-members by reducing their waits by having fewer people go through their checkpoints.

It is my understanding, however, that this was not the case. A Clear member simply showed his pass and walked to the front of the line -- and proceeded to go through the same checkpoint as everyone else.

If I am waiting on that line, and you get in front of me, Clear has basically sold you my time. What gives them the right to do that? How about if I am the next to be checked and suddenly 30 Clear members walk in front of me?

If you are waiting in line to buy tickets to a movie, would you agree that John Jones can cut in front of you simply by paying Bill Smith a few dollars?

That is the prerogative of the airlines, not some disgusting, un-American government agency.

It is evil, but it is not a necessary evil. We could kick the government the hell out of the airline and airport "security" racket and have the exact or better level of safety that we do now.