As 2007 comes to a close, it appears that Registered Traveler, the program that allows pre-screened travelers to move quickly through airport security, is finally about to break through on a national basis.
RT security lanes are up and running at airports in Albany, N.Y.; Cincinnati; Indianapolis; Little Rock, Ark.; Orlando, Fla.; Reno, Nev.; San Francisco; San Jose, Calif.; Westchester County, N.Y.; and Huntsville, Ala., as well as in select lanes at Newark (N.J.) International and New York’s LaGuardia and JFK airports.
But the big news is the airports that are about to come online. Denver International Airport, the country’s fourth-largest airport as measured by the number of arrivals and departures, has just selected Verified Identity Pass, which operates the Clear RT program, to launch its express security lanes early in 2008. In addition, Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport, the largest in the United States, is seeking bids from RT service providers. Other large U.S. airports appear ready to add Registered Traveler as well. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has asked for RT proposals on behalf of Reagan and Dulles airports, and Oakland International Airport is pursuing the program as well.
In the meantime, Verified Identity Pass continues to pursue the corporate market. Verified recently announced a partnership with American Express through which American Express corporate card members receive preferred pricing on Clear’s annual membership and appointment enrollment privileges at Clear’s network of off-airport city enrollment centers. Through the program, corporate card members can go online to initiate their enrollment and then complete the process at an enrollment location, where their fingerprints and iris images are captured and their identification is validated.
Verified has negotiated similar agreements with travel management companies such as TQ3Navigant, BCD Travel Partners, and Travel and Transport Inc.
Verified has also reached a deal with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, a major law firm based in San Francisco, to provide Clear cards to its frequent flyers. Over the next several months Verified will bring enrollment kiosks to the firm’s offices in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and New York for on-site sign-ups.
"The Clear security pass is about creating greater efficiency and time savings for our lawyers and business professionals as they travel throughout our 18 offices around the world," said Orrick Chairman and CEO Ralph Baxter. "Orrick's clients expect the same value-driven service and experience from our law firm. By partnering with a program like Clear, we have taken another innovative step in helping our lawyers and staff to better manage their time while traveling, to mitigate the hassles of travel, and to allow our lawyers to deliver the highest levels of client service."
Verified is not the only RT provider courting the corporate market. FLO Corp. has reached an agreement with Omega World Travel to distribute its RT membership programs in the Washington, D.C., market. Omega serves 400,000 business travelers nationally, including 100,000 in the Washington area.