1 hour ago - News

CLEAR, TSA launch biometric eGates at San Diego airport

Kate Murphy

Airport security area with blue automated turnstiles, glass doors, and a touchscreen kiosk on the right. A staff member and passengers are seen at a counter in the background. — New biometric eGates at SAN make going through security even faster for CLEAR+ travelers. Photo: Courtesy of CLEAR

There's a new shortcut through security lines at the San Diego Airport as CLEAR and the TSA opened biometric eGates in Terminal 2.

Why it matters: Now, CLEAR+ travelers don't just get to skip the line, they don't have to check in with a TSA officer at all and can go straight to the bag and walk-through screening.

The big picture: The new tech rolled out at 48 U.S. airports nationwide over the past year in anticipation of record-breaking crowds with the World Cup and America's 250th birthday.

Zoom in: Travelers step into an eGate that conducts real-time biometric verification, matching a traveler's face to their ID and boarding pass.

The process takes under five seconds, according to the company.
CLEAR+ typically costs $209 a year.

Between the lines: CLEAR says it has no access to watchlists, cannot override TSA gate decisions and does not manually open the gates, Axios' Kelly Tyko reports.

The company said it transmits only limited data like the live photo, boarding pass and the ID photo used for enrollment.

Add Axios on Google

CLEAR, TSA launch biometric eGates at San Diego airport

More San Diego stories