Clear, a registered traveler program, on Tuesday announced that Virgin Atlantic Airways would be the first airline to bring Clear to travelers at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport. At Newark, Clear will launch at Terminal B, which serves Virgin Atlantic Airways and several other airlines. Enrollment facilities will open in February and the program is set to be fully operational by mid-March. For an annual fee of $99.95, the registered traveler program allows fliers to provide background information for pre-screening by the Transportation Security Administration and if approved, receive a biometric identity card that gives expedited access through airport security checkpoints. Last week, Clear launched lanes at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, as well as airports in Indianapolis, Cincinnati and San Jose. Clear has been operational at the Orlando Airport since July 2005 and now has over 36,000 participants nationwide. Beginning February 19, 2007, Clear's mobile enrollment units will be unveiled in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Grand Central in midtown Manhattan. The New York Times recently reported that technology-company Unisys plans to open its first registered traveler program at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport in mid-February. However, unlike the Clear program, Unisys will not operate shoe-scanning technology.
