PASSPORT AND JETWAY

THE INTERNATINAL FAST LANE
Well it was a rough 2 years and unfortunately too rough for fledgling company CLEAR to survive. CLEAR was a prgram that offered expedient processing through US immigrations. For a fee of $100 USD per year they would process a background check, set up your retina scan and finger printing in a national data base. The data base was connected to electronic scanners at Custon and Immigration areas of major airports. Members avoided the long lines by simply walking up to the machines and scanning their eyes and fingers for quick entry. Due to the slump in the economy and slower than forcasted international travel the program never causght on and closed withing 16 months. TSA has adopted the concept and developed their own program dubbed the Global Entry Program. Global Entry is a new pilot program managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection which allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers expedited clearance upon arrival into the United States. Participants will enter the United States by utilizing automated kiosks located, at designated airports. Although the program is intended for “frequent travelers” who make several international trips per year, there is no minimum number of trips an applicant must make in order to qualify.
Currently Global Entry is available at: John F. Kennedy International (JFK); Washington Dulles International (IAD); George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH); Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Miami International Airport (MIA), Boston-Logan International Airport (BOS), Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW), Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Honolulu International Airport (HNL), Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS), Detroit Metropolitan International Airport (DTW), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Orlando International Airport (MCO), Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU), Orlando-Sanford International Airport (SFB), and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). The fee and program are very similar if not exactly the same in nature and idea. I will report at a later date on how user friendly the program is after using it a few times.
www.cbp.gov/global_entry