California launches bid to ban airport line-skipping program used by thousands of American travelers... because of 'equity'

A California Democrat introduced a first-of-its-kind bill that would ban Clear from airports in the Golden State.

California State Sen. Josh Newman claims the line-skipping private security company does not provide an 'equitable' service.

'It's a basic equity issue when you see people subscribed to a concierge service being escorted in front of people who have waited a long time to get to the front of TSA line,' Newman told CBS MoneyWatch.

He added: 'Everyone is beaten down by the travel experience, and if Clear escorts a customer in front of you and tells TSA, 'Sorry, I have someone better,' it's really frustrating.'

A California lawmaker is proposing a bill that would ban the line-skipping company Clear from airports in the state 

California State Sen. John Newsman said: 'It's a basic equity issue when you see people subscribed to a concierge service being escorted in front of people who have waited a long time to get to the front of TSA line'

Unlike the government-contracted TSA PreCheck, Clear is a private company that allows subscribers to skip the security line entirely at the airport. Most people who have Clear also purchase TSA PreCheck to bypass the line and receive the abbreviated version of TSA security checks at the airport.

The standard price for an annual Clear membership is $189 and is used to verify passengers' identities and an employee will escort them to the front of the security line.

TSA PreCheck is $78 for five years and $70 for renewals and precludes subscribers from needing to take off articles of clothing like shoes, jackets and belts while going through security. It also allows passengers to keep electronics in their bags instead of removing them for screening.

If someone has Clear but does not have TSA PreCheck, they would only skip the first part of the TSA security screening process, which is the line and have boarding passes and IDs checked.

Usually, when someone skips the line with Clear, they are going ahead of the TSA PreCheck line where others are also paying – a much less amount – for an abbreviated security check at the airport.

If Newman's SB-1372 bill passes, Clear would be barred from operating in airports in California.

Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue and Hawaiian, all major U.S. airlines, oppose the bill.

They wrote a joint letter to Senate Transportation Committee Chair Dave Cortese this month arguing its passage would result in revenue losses and noting the services were used more than 5 million times in California in 2023.

Airlines argue in the letter that the bill 'not only threatens to increase fees on air carriers but also severely restricts airports' ability to effectively manage lines at the security checkpoint, resulting in a negative travel experience for our California customers.'

'We are proud to partner with nine airports across California — creating hundreds of jobs, sharing more than $13 million in annual revenue with our California airport partners and serving nearly 1 million Californians,' a Clear spokesperson said in a statement to MoneyWatch.

'We are always working with our airline and airport partners as well as local, state, and federal governments to ensure all travelers have a safer, easier checkpoint experience.'

Besides Clear being used at roughly 50 airports across the U.S. dozens of sports stadiums and other venues also utilize the identification verification service.

TSA security lines are infamously slow and cumbersome when flying in the U.S. and several programs seek to expedite this process – including Global Entry, TSA PreCheck and now Clear

Newman said his bill would still allow Clear to operate its own dedicated security line separate from other passengers, but stops them from skipping ahead of others who already waited.

'The bill doesn't seek to punish Clear or put it out of business,' he said. 'It wants to create a better traffic flow so customers aren't intersecting with the general public and causing a moment of friction that is so frustrating to the average traveler.'

'All it does is up the tension in the line.'

There is bipartisan support for the legislation from California Republican State Sen. Janet Nguyen.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) also supports the bill along with the union representing Transportation Security Officers in California cities of Oakland, Sacramento and San Jose.