the virtues of the tsa line

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Welcome to one of my newest hyper-fixations: airport security.

I wish this obsession came from a two-week, four-flight journey across the Midwest and East Coast, allowing my mind to ponder airport security's philosophy and history, and savoring the mix of roses and feet as travelers removed their shoes.

Sadly, my interest arose from a more, well, natural experience.

I was angry.

I was unabashedly angry at the way I spent thirty minutes in line, despite being in TSA PreCheck. Reader, the line was not long. But it was frequently interrupted by the thing your sister’s boyfriend Kent has:

Clear.

These things.

For those of you unfamiliar, this is how it works: For $189/year, travelers can bypass the TSA security line (though not the security process itself). Instead of an ID check with a TSA officer, they undergo a biometric scan of their iris and fingerprints. After checking in at a kiosk, members are escorted by a Clear representative to the front of a regular TSA line and waved through. They then proceed through TSA security—either pre-check if they have it or regular if not.

A few things of note and clarification:

1. Clear does NOT allow travelers to bypass the security screening process—just the line to get into it.

2. Discounts and credits for Clear are available through some credit cards and frequent flyer programs.

3. Clear is not just at airports; some sports stadiums also use Clear, though this is a less profitable and known part of the business. For this article, I will focus on the airport side.

4. The TSA sucks. Like, really sucks. I am more than confident this will be another post, but there are deeper issues at play with the whole idea of airport security and security theatre that I am actively choosing to avoid this time, since that will lead us down a rather insane rabbit hole.

5. I do not have Clear. While this doesn't negate my points, I think it’s important to mention it up front.

My goal here is to explore Clear as a concept through three different lenses: social acceptance, security, and, perhaps most importantly, good-ol’ American fairness.

When is it okay to cut in line?

I've spent the last few days contemplating when it's appropriate to cut in line. The only good reasons I can think of are:

• Emergencies (e.g., cutting in line at a pharmacy for an EpiPen),

• Rejoining a pre-established group (e.g., a child returning from the restroom to their parents)

• Staff needing to be somewhere before customers (e.g., flight attendants boarding first on a plane)

These are all obvious reasons when cutting in line is generally acceptable. Another example could be a parent with a crying child needing the restroom, but that is more about civility than appropriateness.

Rather obviously, Clear does not fall within those boundaries. This one is easy.

Strike One.

Is Clear secure?

Half the benefit of Clear, at least for now, is not having to show your ID to the TSA agent before security. Naturally, you’d think that they’d be good at biometric verification, since that’s kinda their whole schtick?

(I will, of course, not mention how TSA has waffled on requiring Clear members to show ID, effectively defeating its purpose.)

As such, we would expect that clear would be top-notch in making sure that travelers are who they say they are. After all, their stock ticker is YOU! and if you’re promising top tier biometric security, I’m sure that—

Oh.

Well, surely that’s a one-time thing, and surely it wont hap—

Ope.

Clear argues that the errors are due to "human error," asserting that their technology is not to blame. However, this isn't a sufficient excuse. The mistakes are made by their employees, who are trained by Clear to use the technology. Therefore, the responsibility still lies with Clear. They had, and continue to have, the responsibility to ensure that their employees are properly trained and capable of minimizing human errors. I can only imagine what would happen if Clear ran a restaurant: “I apologize, Mr. Critic. I handed my sous chef a spatula and hoped for the best—I had no idea they would burn your ice cream!”

Oh, and those biometric scans they do of your face to ensure that you are you?

While I'm holding Clear to a higher standard than the TSA, a company that claims superior efficiency and safety must accept the responsibility that comes with such promises. Clear claims that they use “the highest fidelity digital identity” — thus earning them SAFETY Act Certification by the Department of Homeland Security. Consequently, Clear must have near perfection (and certainly should not rely on foreheads or shoulders for identity verification!)

Oh, and by the way, Clear doesn’t do background checks.¹

Strike two.

Wait… is this even a fair idea?

As I’ve been writing this article over the past two weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about if there are similar programs elsewhere. I struggled to come up with any, so let’s come up with a new company: DMV.I.P.²

Tired of wasting hours at the DMV? With DMV.I.P., you get access to an exclusive line that lets you bypass the crowd. Just show up and breeze through your visit! No more planning your day around DMV waits. DMV.I.P. ensures you get in and out quickly, so you can get back to what matters most. For just $5 a month, you can say goodbye to long waits and hello to convenience.

Would we all sign up for this? If we visited the DMV often enough, probably.³ But this feels wrong, cheap, nearly un-American. It challenges the ideas of fairness and equality—that no matter how rich you are, you have to wait your turn in line and deal with the DMV.

So why do we allow this for the TSA?

Public services like the DMV or TSA are meant to serve everyone equally, regardless of financial situation. No matter your tax statement (or lack thereof), you still have to prove your identity before getting on a plane.

Services like Clear, offering expedited security for a fee, challenge the idea of equal access. They create a two-tier system where those who can afford it receive preferential treatment, undermining equal service for all.

There are a couple concerns here. First, given how much the airlines/airports make from diverting resources to premium services can reduce the quality and efficiency of standard services, causing longer wait times and decreased satisfaction for regular passengers. This is precisely what happens when the Clear employee cuts you off, forcing you to wait for someone in a suit⁴ shuffle on through. Second, there’s something to be said about the perception of unfairness. When people get faster service at TSA — TSA! — it only adds to the belief that the system, even in the banality of the airport security line, is rigged. Is it the sole reason someone might hate the government and the world? Probably not. But could it add to the 7-layer bean dip of people resenting the government? Absolutely.

Strike three.

Thank you all for reading this — I enjoy doing these deep dives, and please let me know in the comments or as a reply if you like them as well!

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If you’re willing, please share this with someone who would find it interesting. Thank you, and I’ll see you next time.

Cheers,

Zev

I’m burying a fun little tidbit here. The moment I write “cut in line,” a solid fifty percent of y’all thought of the most famous line-cutting system in history: The FastPass.

If you have not watched Defunctland’s incredible video on the history of the FastPass, please stop reading, watch the video, and then come back. In fact, I’ll put the video here for your ease of viewing:

Incredible, right?

1  In contrast, TSA PreCheck does.

2  I spent far longer on this name than I would like to admit.a

3  It seems like a company already tried this. Unsurprisingly, it failed.

4  but no tie, of course — they’re casual!