Clear, the Airport Fast-Track Service is No More

The company, Verified Identity Pass, said it pulled the plug on the Clear program because it couldn't negotiate a deal with its creditors. It could file for bankruptcy

Some customers received e-mails with the news, while others found out when they discovered Clear lanes at the airport were cordoned off.

Clear was founded in 2003 by Steven Brill, the businessman behind media ventures such as CourtTV and American Lawyer magazine. It operated at about 20 airports. Brill left the company in February when a group of investors took control of the company.

Last year, the TSA suspended the Clear program temporarily after a laptop containing records for about 33,000 customers was lost at San Francisco International Airport. TSA requires the companies providing the Registered Traveler service to encrypt sensitive personal information.

Sucks to be one of the quarter million customers who paid up to $199 a year and turned over detailed personal information in exchange for breezing to the gate — until the company that runs the program, known as Clear, abruptly shut down Tuesday.

SOURCE: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iqWr_HaGImmJpvBIXHNAx49EkCSAD990KIQ80