Awesome! (but please, forget I said anything!)
We're all frustrated with the security line waits at SeaTac these days. Sure, you can pay $100 and get a third-degree investigation of your background and an intimidating in-person interview for the privilege of entering the PreCheck line. That's a little too invasive for me, but I don't want to stand in line either.
Fortunately, Delta teamed up with Clear to give us a massive discount on Clear's annual fee if you're a Delta frequent flyer program member. Basically, Clear is yet another priority line at airports like SeaTac, San Jose, and a bunch of others around the country. The nice thing is, even when the PreCheck line has a couple of dozen people backed up, the Clear line has been empty.
Here's how it's been working for me. After spending about 5 minutes opening an account online, with my info but no big background check or interview, I walked up to a Clear line at the airport and told them I wanted to sign up. They had the machine record my fingerprints and iris patterns, and scan my driver's license, and 5 minutes later I was good to go!
Now, after dropping off any checked luggage at the airport, I head straight for the Clear line (which has a very friendly and helpful Clear rep standing at its entrance) and they walk me to their scanning machine. For me the iris scan (just looking deeply into the machine's "eyes") works best -- the machine beeps and pops up a photo of my driver's license (which I now no longer have to pull out), and the Clear rep marks my boarding pass. He/she then leads me past the normal TSA podium directly to the X-ray machine line and I'm good to go. Impressive, but nobody's mistaken me for a VIP yet (probably my fault...).
Clear's website has the details on what airports (and where in the airport!) they serve, but check with Delta (and likely other travel companies) to get a discount on the annual fee.
Please, let's just keep this our little secret -- we don't want the Clear lines to fill up, too. read more