Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
17
Cut to the Front of the Airport Security Line
as a Registered Traveler
In 2003, the
Transportation S ecurity A dministration
(
TSA;
w ww.tsa.gov)
approved a pilot program to help ease the time spent in line for airport security
screenings. In exchange for information and a fee, persons can be prescreened
as registered travelers, granting them a front-of-the-line position when they fly.
The program is run through private firms—the largest and most well-known is
Steven Brill 's
Clear
(w ww.flyclear.com), and it w orks like this: Travelers com-
plete an online application pr oviding specific points of personal inf ormation
including name, addresses for the previous 5 years, birth date, Social Security
number, driver's license number, and a valid credit card (you're not charged the
$99 fee
until your application is approved). Print out the completed form and
take it, along with pr oper ID, with y ou to an “enrollment station” (this can be
found in mor e than 20 par ticipating airpor ts and in a g rowing number of
American Express offic es around the c ountry, for example). I t's at this point
where it gets seemingly sci-fi. At the enrollment station, a Clear representative
will record your biometrics nec essary for clearance; in this case , your finger-
prints and your irises will be digitally recorded.
Once your application has been scr eened against no -fly lists, outstanding
warrants, and other security measures, you'll be issued a clear plastic card that
holds a chip containing your information. Each time you fly through participat-
ing airports (and the numbers ar e steadily growing), go to the Clear P ass sta-
tion located nex t to the standar d TSA screening line. Here you'll inser t your
card into a slot and plac e your finger on a scanner t o read your print—when
the information matches up, you're cleared to cut t o the fr ont of the securit y
line. You'll still have to follow all the procedures of the day like removing your
shoes and walk ing through the X -ray machine, but Clear pr omises to cut 30
minutes off your wait time at the airport.
On a personal not e: Each time I use m y Clear P ass, my travel companions
are still waiting to go through security while I'm already sitting down, reading
the paper, and sipping m y overpriced smoothie. Granted, registered traveler
programs are not f or the infr equent traveler, but f or those of us who fly on
a regular basis, it's a perk I' m willing t o pay for.
2
—
David A. L ytle
MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS
Unless you're arriving from an area known
to be suffering from an epidemic (particu-
larly cholera or y ellow fever), inoculations
or vaccinations are not r equired for entr y
into the United States.
CUSTOMS
What You Can Bring
into the U.S.
Every visitor mor e than 21 y ears of age
may bring in, fr ee of duty, the follo wing:
(1) 1 liter of wine or har d liquor; (2) 200
