New California Bill Would Ban Line Skipping Service Clear From Airports in Name of Equity

New legislation being proposed in California would ban the expedited security screening company Clear from operating in the state’s airports, as proponents say the service raises equity issues given it effectively lets wealthier people skip ahead of passengers waiting in line to be screened by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents.

The bill, SB-1372, the first of its kind in the U.S., would require third-party vendors like Clear to get their own dedicated security lane or lose the ability to operate in California airports.

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State Sen. Josh Newman, a Democrat, is sponsoring the legislation, and it has bipartisan support from Republican Sen. Janet Nguyen.

“It’s a basic equity issue when you see people subscribed to a concierge service being escorted in front of people who have waited a long time to get to the front of TSA line,” Newman told CBS MoneyWatch.

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Six major airlines — Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska, JetBlue and Hawaiian — are opposing the bill and wrote a letter to Senate Transportation Committee Chair Dave Cortese this month arguing its passage would result in revenue losses.

They wrote that the services were used more than 5 million times in California in 2023.

The airlines argued that the bill “not only threatens to increase fees on air carriers but also severely restricts airports’ ability to effectively manage lines at the security checkpoint, resulting in a negative travel experience for our California customers.”

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