Fast-pass security lanes at SFO, Oakland, other airports close down

By Sharon Noguchi and Lisa Fernandez

Mercury News-Fast-pass security lanes at Mineta San Jose International Airport and nearly two dozen other airports across the country shut down late Monday, after the company that operated them closed its doors.

Verified Identity Pass Inc., the parent company of Clear, could not negotiate credit to continue operating, according to a message posted on its Web site and e-mailed to its customers. Clear also operated at San Francisco and Oakland international airports.

Clear expedited airport security checks for travelers who passed a Transportation Security Administration review and paid an annual fee. It used iris and fingerprint scans to verify the identity of customers.

"This sucks," said Boris Seibert, 39, of Capitola, a director of sales headed from San Jose to Phoenix this morning. "This was so cool, it was the best thing ever. You used to get right to the front of the line.

When he applied for the pass, "They asked a lot of invasive questions,” he said. But getting the pass "was worth it, especially on a Monday morning."

Terminal A at the San Jose airport, home to American, Southwest, Hawaiian and Mexicana airlines, was bustling today with long lines to check in and pass into boarding areas. The turquoise Clear kiosks were unstaffed, its computer stations hung with simple copy-paper notes stating that Clear had "ceased operations" and that passengers should "please utilize regular security checkpoint lanes."

Two years ago, San Jose became the first airport on the West Coast to open a Clear lane. The lanes operated at both Terminal A and Terminal C. Other airports where Clear operated included New York’s John F. Kennedy, Washington, D.C.’s Dulles, Denver, and Orlando.

The New York-based company was founded in 2004 by Steve Brill and raised $44.4 million last year, according to the Wall Street Journal. It closed airport operations at 11 p.m. Pacific time on Monday. The content of its Web site was removed, and replaced with a statement that the company was ceasing operations, effective immediately.

Seibert said he was checking his Blackberry today before his flight and saw he had received a late-night message that said "something about financial problems" but no mention of whether customers would be refunded any of the $199 annual fee.

Jesus Sanchez of Salinas, a maintenance manager who regularly travels all over the United States, took the closure in stride. He glanced at the kiosk’s closed signs with barely a blink, then headed into the end of security check’s cattle line.

He said he liked using the fast pass check to avoid long lines. But, he added, "when you travel a lot, you just have to deal with it."

Contact Sharon Noguchi at [email protected] or 408-271-3775.