First Look: The Clear Lexus Lane? Not So Much
Last week we reported on the new Clear security lanes debuting at National and Dulles airports, and how officials touted them as time-saving boons to humanity. For $128 a year, frequent travelers can bypass the regular security lanes, enjoying the services of special "concierges" who help them with bins and baggage -- in theory, smoothing the experience for everyone. And now, a word from Travel section reader Stan H. King of Arlington, who eagerly tested out the system last weekend. We'll let Stan tell it:
I reported to all of you a few weeks ago that I was going to use my Trusted Traveler credentials for the first time and go through the Fly Clear lane for a trip to Tampa. Needless to say my enthusiasm was genuine and I was excited to partake in that magic wave of the arm from a concierge at the airport. I only wish it had been as good as I fantasized.
I was flying early morning on a Friday out of IAD on Southwest bound for the great State of Florida. I arrived for my 7 a.m. flight at 5 a.m. and processed luggage without incident. I then looked for the Fly Clear lane. It was not near the Southwest counter. It was not near the Security Checkpoint closest to the Southwest counter. I followed the signs from the departure terminal down the stairs, past the baggage claim, to an innocuous employee gate near baggage claim #8. If you are checking bags or dealing with a ticketing counter for any reason, the Fly Clear lane is not conveniently located.
But I marched up to the Fly Clear lane eager to experience this "Lexus Lane" service, and was stopped by a TSA agent who smugly informed me that the "concierge" had not shown up for work that day so the Fly Clear lane was closed. How nice. What a great first impression. (Note: The lane is clearly marked as open at 4 a.m.)
I marched back up to the pedestrian security checkpoint and got in line. It took an hour to get through the TSA security lane .
So far I score the service a big fat zero. I wrote a nasty letter to Steve Brill, president of Trusted Traveler. When I get a response (or if) I will forward a copy to all for enjoyment.
By K.C. Summers |
March 26, 2008; 6:43 AM ET
| Category:
Air Travel
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Airports
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K.C. Summers
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View or post comments
Posted by: thanks for saving me $128 | March 26, 2008 10:52 AM
So they only have 1 employee available for this service. That's great
Posted by: Great service | March 26, 2008 11:00 AM
Wow. That's pretty bad.
Posted by: h3 | March 26, 2008 11:52 AM
I flew out of Dulles last Wednesday at 1 pm. The poor people's security line at about 1030 was non-existent (a first for me) - I marched right up to the boarding pass checker, then right to the x ray machine and through.
Last time I was at Dulles (late last summer) the line was only about 15 minutes. Maybe I just time my travel well.
Posted by: coach | March 26, 2008 12:48 PM
Lord. It's one thing if TSA - an "included" service of air travel - understaffs the lines. It's almost to be expected.
But if Fly Clear isn't providing customer service right now? Forget my TSA-security-leak concerns - what's the point? Especially if they don't make clear where your line is going to be and you have to go questing for it.
And to coach:
Personally, I think it's a Murphy's Law.
The more time you leave yourself to get through a heinous security line, the shorter the line (or the more efficient the process) will be.
Posted by: Chasmosaur | March 26, 2008 1:57 PM
I just went to the Fly Clear site, and it states that the hours for Dulles service are:
Weekdays, 5:30AM - 9PM
Weekends, 6:30AM - 8PM
So a) the signage was apparently off (or intended for gate crews) and
b) perhaps Stan H. was only missing the person by a few minutes. Either the TSA agent was was being intentionally rude, or Stan H. misunderstood that the Fly Clear agent hadn't showed up *yet*.
Still bad customer service. 7 am flights (or earlier) are not unusual out of Dulles and security can still be busy during early hours. Not to mention business travelers tend to fly early so they get to their destinations with some business time left in the day They can't be there at 4:30 am?
Posted by: Chasmosaur | March 26, 2008 2:03 PM
Mr. King's letter was not at all nasty. It was just misinformed. As I explained to Mr. King in my letter back to him -- which I sent the day I received his letter -- the morning he says he went to the Clear lane at Dulles was March 14. But that was five days before we officially opened the lanes! On March 14 we were simply testing the equipment intermittently, with no announcements to the public that we were open. In fact, Mr. King's one year membership in Clear did not begin until March 19. And, as I explained to him, starting on March 19 we were fully staffed beginning at 5:30 -- which is plenty of time for our members to get to a flight, like Mr. King's, leaving at 7:00am.
One more thing: This exchange is illustrates the down side of blogs. Once upon the time the Washington Post would have called me for comment about something like this and this mistaken account would not have been left unanswered. Then again, I'm glad to have the chance here to clear this up.
Steven Brill
Posted by: Steven Brill, CEO Clear | March 28, 2008 12:11 PM
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I was just about to sign up after the news of new Clear lanes, but now I'm definitely going to hold off until I hear news of better service.