Letters to the Editor: Frequent fliers have a message for Sacramento: Leave our Clear alone

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·2 min read
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FILE- In this June 29, 2016, file photo passengers make their way through a TSA Precheck security line inside Terminal 2 of San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. If time is money, find out whether your credit card will reimburse you the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry programs. These programs can offer faster clearance through airport screening, and some cards offer application credits of up to $100. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
Passengers make their way through a security line at San Francisco International Airport in 2016. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press)

To the editor: If state Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) gets annoyed watching Clear customers get escorted to the front of the airport security line, then he must become apoplectic when he has to walk past the airlines' private lounges. ("Tired of Clear travelers cutting the airport security line? A California lawmaker wants change," April 23)

And he must absolutely foam at the mouth during boarding when he has to walk by all those people sitting in first class.

If Newman really is a "frequent traveler" as he states, then why won't he just pony up for Clear? About $200 annually is not that much for a frequent traveler.

As for Newman feeling that Clear is "elitist and un-American," is that how he feels when he sees people sitting courtside at basketball games? I doubt he would be in his job had this been a campaign issue.

Paula Del, Los Angeles

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To the editor: A legislative assault on Clear would do little to democratize travel.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration, which supports limits on Clear, offers a premium service called PreCheck, where travelers can "cut the line" for a fee. As a frequent business traveler, I feel Clear is worth the extra annual fee for the time savings, in addition to my PreCheck.

But consider that without Clear, more of us would still be in front of you in line.

I also have the United Club Card and wait for my flight in quiet comfort, with free snacks and Wi-Fi instead of dodging excited kids running around the gate waiting area. This is also worth a couple of extra dollars.

As your next flight taxis out to the runway, see if you can spot the private jet that taxied in front of you to take off. They skip security completely. That sort of priority service is out of my budget, but I don't begrudge the people who have it.

Please leave Clear alone.

D. Anthony Peters, Laguna Beach

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.