WPCNR AIR NEWS. By John F. Bailey. August 16, 2007 UPDATED with Pix 3:40 P.M. EDT: The Westchester County Airport introduced  the CLEAR  Biometric Identity Card system today for frequent users of the county airport that will cut their security wait time  down to 5 minutes or less  by entering at their own special security boarding gate.

CLEAR CEO Steven Brill demonstrates the CLEAR card to County Executive Andy Spano at the CLEAR Card Check Point that begins operations for present holders of a CLEAR card Monday. Local travelers wishing to avoid the security waits can apply for the card at the airport Monday through Friday.

The “CLEAR –ed” traveler still  must go through metal detectors and their carry-on bags will be x-rayed. But their wait will be cut by as much as 30 minutes to an hour. Obtaining a CLEAR Card means you do not have to be at an airport  an hour-and a half or more  before your flight.

The key to this time-saving device is the CLEAR Airport Security Fast Pass which travelers may apply for beginning Monday at the airport. Travelers first must  apply for the card online at the CLEAR website, www.flyclear.com,  then can have their fingerprints and eyes scanned at the airport beginning Monday to start the process of acquiring the CLEAR Card.

County Executive Andrew Spano and Steven Brill, founder and CEO of CLEAR introduced the system in a news conference today at the airport, announcing that travelers who are U.S. citizens may apply for their CLEAR  Airport Security Fast Pass at kiosks opposite the Air Tran Check-in at the Westchester Terminal.

Before you can use the FAST PASS gate you must register with CLEAR online at their website, www.flyclear.com. You will be issued a 16-digit account number in an e-mail (being demonstrated here by Clifton Turner who manages the CLEAR program for Westchester County Airport). You bring  the  web-site generated letter to the County airport to complete the physical identity check for a CLEAR Fast Pass at the kiosk pictured below.  Local residents may do that beginning Monday at Westchester County Airport for the next two weeks at the CLEAR kiosk which will be open Monday through Friday from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. It will only be open at the county airport until August 30.

Mr. Turner Demonstrates the CLEAR electronic examiner which records your fingerprints, "iris" of your eye and takes your picture to create the CLEAR Fast Pass.

Mr. Turner Demonstrates how the kiosk takes fingerprints.

Presto! You are electronically fingerprinted! Prints and iris of your eye are encoded on the CLEAR Pass.

 In  approximately four weeks, your CLEAR Card will be issued through the Transportation Security Administration, granting you access to enter airport security check-in at the specially marked Blue CLEAR gate that will be available at HPN’s business times for boarding. The CLEAR Fast Pass Gate will begin operations initially open Mondays  and Tuesdays from 6 A.M. to 10:30 A.M and Thursdays from 1 P.M. to 6 P.M. The Fast Pass Gate will expand as needed according to Clifton Turner, who manages the CLEAR operation for the County Airport.

The CLEAR Check Point, with the security lines in the background at Westchester County Airport this morning.

The CLEAR Card enables the traveler and any of their family (who also must apply individually for a CLEAR Card) to bypass the regular lines for security check in by checking in at the Blue CLEAR gate.

Airport Manager Peter  Scherrer told WPCNR that CLEAR is the airport’s attempt to cater to and serve the business travelers who use the County Airport, and now are faced with large lines at security. (At the time of this news conference, the parking garage was jammed with no available spaces and line for security was a good 30 or more persons deep.

 “We brought in Air Tran and Jet Blue, catering to the consumer,” Scherrer told WPCNR, “and 60% of our usage is business travel. That’s caused longer lines and we wanted to do something for the frequent business traveler now (with CLEAR) they don’t have to stand in line with vacationers going to Disney World.”

Scherrer said this was an airport intitiative, and the airport put out a Request for Proposals for an express identification system, even though the airport did not meet CLEAR's guidelines for such a system, Scherrer said, "we convinced them we could be profitable for them because we are a high-end market."  CLEAR was the only company that responded. CLEAR  developed a system to the airport needs. CLEAR will charge $99.95 to each traveler who applies and is cleared by the Transportation Security Administration for a card. CLEAR supplies the systems at the airport at no cost to the airport, according to Mr. Scherrer.

In other Airport News.

Air Link

Kenneth Jenkins, County Legislator, head  of the Legislator's Transportation Committee gave WPCNR an update on two other key county airport issues.

 He said that the Air Link bus shuttle, operating from the White Plains Railroad Station was currently carrying 60 persons a day, about 5 passengers an hour, which he said, had exceeded expectations. Asked why the county did not advertise Air Link more, Jenkins said the county was attempting to inform businesses and corporate campuses about the bus system.

AIRPORT PARKING

Asked if the county was any further along in furnishing more parking for the airport, which as WPCNR observed this morning was “packed” with cars parked on embankments inside the parking terminal, Jenkins said the county was attempting to live up to agreements and understandings it had with the community regarding enabling airport expansion (which, by inference, WPCNR took to mean more car capacity would lead to more flights). The bottom line was there were no immediate initiatives he knew of to increase parking facilities.

Pilot I.D.s

Mr. Scherrer told WPCNR the security access system for private pilots was still about two weeks away from being implemented because the airport was having problems with a vendor. Asked why the airport did not use the CLEAR system as a security check for the private pilots and aviation personnel based at the airport, Scherrer said that it did not qualify, that the TSA system was only for commercial aviation.

He also said the county would have to deploy CLEAR equipment at too many checkpoints to make a CLEAR system feasible. He said the pilot/owner access identification system was designed to be strictly an identity "swipe" card system, allowing pilots to access the entrance gates with a swipe card rather than the present key system which could be easily duplicated. It is also designed he said to prevent gates from remaining open after they have been unlocked.