Say goodbye to shorter lines at California airports, at least for those willing to pay for it, if Sen. Josh Newman gets his way.
The California Democrat is sponsoring a bill that would ban Clear Secure (NYSE: YOU) from the airport security areas across the state as the company’s concierge service creates a “basic fairness issue” that allows wealthier travelers to bypass long security lines for a $189-a-year membership.
“It’s about dignity in the travel experience of people who don’t have money to pay for upselling services,” Newman said.
Clear (YOU) provides expedited security screening at 50 U.S. airports along with other public locations. Travelers with a subscription to the service can appear at the security line once their identity has been verified at a Clear (YOU) kiosk.
The bill introduced by Newman, SB-1372, is not intended to completely ban Clear (YOU), but to allow the company to establish its own safe zone away from non-Clear subscribers.
“The least you can expect when you have to go through the security line at the airport is not to suffer the humiliation of someone pushing you out of the way to let the rich person through,” Newman told POLITICO.
Although the bill has the support of Republican Senator Janet Nguyen and unions representing TSA-employed flight attendants, airlines oppose the bill because it limits how airports handle security lines and eliminates revenue from the partnership between the carriers and Clear (YOU). Delta (DAL), United (UAL), Alaska Air Group (ALK), JetBlue (JBLU), Southwest (LUV) and Hawaiian Airline (HA) all have partnerships with Clear (YOU).
SB-1372 will be voted on Tuesday before the California State Senate Transportation Committee.