British Airways and Verified Identity Pass Inc. have reached an agreement to launch Clear, Verified’s Registered Traveler program, at the British Airways Terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York this fall.
“The customer service benefits that Clear will offer our valued customers, not only in New York, but in cities where Clear will launch in the future, are consistent with the innovations that British Airways is renowned for delivering,” said Robin Hayes, the airline’s executive vice president for the Americas, in a release announcing the agreement.
Clear is designed to give passengers who get the necessary security clearance faster access through airport security checkpoints. It began last year at the Orlando International Airport, and airports in San Jose, Calif., Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Toronto are scheduled to rollout “Clear” programs this fall, pending final approval from the Transportation Security Administration.
The agreement comes just three weeks after the announcement by authorities in the United Kingdom of the discovery of an alleged airline terror plot. Changes to security procedures severely disrupted airports in the U.K., created lengthy security check lines, and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. A spokesperson for British Airways said the agreement reached with Clear/Verified was not a response to the alleged terror plot and that negotiations had begun in the spring of this year.