united airlines

United Airlines to Expand Biometric Screenings Through CLEAR Partnership

The partnership between the airline and the security company will also offer discounted and free CLEAR memberships to United rewards members.

  • By Haley Samsel
  • Aug 01, 2019

United Airlines will partner with the biometrics security company CLEAR to bring more retina and fingerprint-screening facilities to airports across the U.S., the airline announced Monday.

Biometric screening will be available at United’s hubs in Newark and Houston this summer, with plans to expand the service to Chicago’s O’Hare airport in coming months. CLEAR is already operating at United’s hubs in Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington Dulles.

The partnership will offer free or discounted CLEAR membership pricing to United’s MileagePlus members, allowing those who enroll to use eye and fingerprint recognition to bypass the document check portion of the airport security screening process in a line solely for CLEAR members. From there, members continue through the TSA’s screening process.

"CLEAR's secure and seamless biometric security option creates an expedited travel experience that many of our frequent flyers already use and love,” Luc Bondar, the vice president of loyalty and president of MileagePlus at United, said in a statement. “We're excited to partner with CLEAR to expand their presence at our hub airports and to provide all MileagePlus members with either free or deeply discounted memberships."

The program is already available at more than 30 airports and is also used by Major League Baseball for entry at games and Hertz for picking up rental cars, according to Fox Business. United’s competitor, Delta, is also partnered with CLEAR.

Passengers seeking to sign up for CLEAR must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents over the age of 18. The company says that it stores members’ biometric information and does not share it with a third party, using safeguards to protect its systems, Fox Business reported.

For non-rewards members, CLEAR will cost $179 per year through United. The program will be discounted to $119 for MileagePlus members, $109 for U.S. United credit card holders or Premier members, or no extra cost for Premier 1K members.

"It is an incredibly exciting time in the travel industry and we're thrilled to partner with United to deliver easier and more predictable experiences from curb-to-gate and beyond," Caryn Seidman Becker, CLEAR's chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "Our shared focus on the customer experience will enable us to reduce friction at every touchpoint and help travelers enjoy more of what they love."

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

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