Trashed boarding pass used to pass TSA Clear checkpoint

Publish date: 2024-05-05

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A traveler managed to sail through a TSA checkpoint without being enrolled in Clear, a private ID program whose expedited service has come under scrutiny, by using a boarding pass found in the trash, according to a report.

The person, who did not have a plane ticket, used the discarded boarding pass while being escorted to the TSA ID checkpoint by a Clear employee and did not have their identity verified, Politico reported, citing an unnamed congressional aide.

Another incident was discovered when a passenger who also was whisked through via Clear realized their boarding pass was for another airport, according to the outlet.

In both cases, which took place in March and January, neither traveler ended up boarding the flights, the aide who was granted anonymity to discuss TSA briefings with lawmakers told Politico.

It was unclear when the incidents occurred.

All passengers must still go through TSA baggage screening, the news outlet noted.

Clear, a private ID program for airline passengers, has come under scrutiny after a traveler managed to use the service using a boarding pass found in a trash can. Getty Images

The privately-owned program charges vetted members $189 a year to cut security lines at most major airports using a “touchless” ID verification, including having their eyeballs or fingerprints scanned.

Clear staffers then lead them past TSA ID lines and straight to the security screening to have their luggage checked. 

In the two reported cases, the passengers managed to go through the security checkpoint “because of Clear’s lack of oversight,” the aide told Politico, adding that the TSA has briefed lawmakers about the incidents.

In a case from July 2022, a traveler also managed to use Clear using another person’s identity, Politico reported.

Clear allows its members to be identified by having their eyeballs or fingerprints scanned. Corbis via Getty Images

Lawmakers say the troubling incidents raise questions about the company’s security procedures and are calling for changes in the way TSA handles passengers using the program.

Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House committee that oversees the Homeland Security Department, slammed the company.

“After being briefed that there have been multiple security breaches over the past year due to CLEAR’s lax security controls, it is apparent that the company puts its bottom line ahead of the security of our aviation system,” Thompson told Politico in a statement.

“Each passing day the homeland is at greater risk until TSA acts to completely close these security vulnerabilities that it was alerted to last year. We cannot afford any additional delay,” he added.

Three people have reportedly circumvented the program’s system since July 2022. Corbis via Getty Images

Clear rep Annabel Walsh told the outlet that its “security is job one and we have a zero tolerance policy,” adding that the cases from this year are “isolated” and “had nothing to do with our biometric system.”

She said they “were the result of an ambassador not following our strict protocols after which we took immediate action.”

The company said the workers responsible for the breaches have been fired, as were their managers, and that all employees have been required to be retrained, according to the outlet.

But Thompson and other lawmakers are reportedly still calling for the TSA to require all Clear members to present their IDs to a TSA agent — a move that would effectively negate its business model.

Last month, the Washington Post reported that the TSA planned to require more Clear members to undergo random ID checks in an effort to improve the company’s screening process.

None of the passengers involved boarded their flights. Corbis via Getty Images

“TSA is responsible for ensuring that all systems and programs, including those provided by private companies, meet requisite standards and will take necessary steps to ensure security needs are met,” a TSA rep told Insider in a statement.

“Accurate and reliable verification of passenger identity is foundational to aviation security and effective screening by TSA,” it added.

Another program used by travelers is TSA PreCheck, which is offered through government agencies in more than 200 airports.

The program, which costs $85 and lasts for five years, allows people to enter a shorter security line that’s only available to members

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