CLEAR, the privately run expedited airport security program, can be a big time-saver at the airport.
And if you fly out of St. Louis (STL), we've got some good news. CLEAR announced on Monday that it’s up and running at St. Louis's Terminal 2. And according to KMOV News, CLEAR will be up and running in Terminal 1 in early March.
Terminal 2 at St. Louis Airport (STL) is the main terminal where Southwest Airlines flies in and out. All other major domestic carriers fly out of Terminal 1.
The addition is CLEAR’s 34th U.S. airport – a rapid expansion over just the last two years. But one of the major knocks against CLEAR is that, unlike TSA PreCheck, it’s not available at every major airport. That is changing.
Here’s the full list of airports where you can find CLEAR:
| Airport | Terminal(s) |
|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | North & South Domestic Terminals |
| Austin (AUS) | Checkpoints 1 & 2 |
| Baltimore (BWI) | Checkpoints A,B,C, D & E |
| Birmingham (BHM) | Main Terminal |
| Boise (BOI) | Main Terminal |
| Boston (BOS) | Terminal A |
| Buffalo (BUF) | Main Terminal |
| Chicago-Midway (MDW) | Main Terminal |
| Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) | Terminal 1 & 2 |
| Cincinnati (CVG) | Main Terminal |
| Cleveland (CLE) | Center & South Checkpoints |
| Columbus (CMH) | Main Terminal |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | Terminal E |
| Dallas-Love Field (DAL) | Terminal 1 |
| Denver (DEN) | North & South Entrances |
| Detroit (DTW) | North & McNamara Terminals |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | Terminals 1 & 2 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP) | Main Terminal |
| Hartford (BDL) | Terminal A |
| Houston-Intercontinental (IAH) | Terminals A, B, C and E |
| Houston-Hobby (HOU) | Main Terminal |
| Kansas City (MCI) | Main Terminal |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | Terminals 1 & 3 |
| Long Beach (LGB) | Main Terminal |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | Terminals 1 - 7 |
| Miami (MIA) | Checkpoints E & H |
| Milwaukee (MKE) | Main Terminal |
| Minneapolis−Saint Paul (MSP) | Terminal 1 |
| Nashville (BNA) | Central Checkpoint |
| New Orleans (MSY) | Concourse D |
| New York City-John F. Kennedy (JFK) | Terminals 2 & 4 |
| New York-LaGuardia (LGA) | Terminals C & D |
| Newark (EWR) | Terminal C |
| Oakland (OAK) | Terminal 2 |
| Oklahoma City (OKC) | Main Terminal |
| Ontario (ONT) | Terminal 2 & 4 |
| Orlando (MCO) | East & West Security |
| Palm Beach (PBI) | Terminal A/B & C |
| Palm Springs (PSP) | Main Terminal |
| Phoenix (PHX) | Terminals 3 & 4 |
| Pittsburgh (PIT) | Main Terminal |
| Providence (PVD) | Main Terminal |
| Raleigh-Durham (RDU) | Terminals 1 & 2 |
| Sacramento (SMF) | Terminal A & B |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | Terminals 1 & 2 |
| San Antonio (SAT) | Terminals A & B |
| San Diego (SAN) | Terminal 2 |
| San Francisco (SFO) | Terminals 1-3, International Terminals A & G |
| San Jose (SJC) | Terminal A & B |
| San Juan (SJU(+) | Terminals A, B & C |
| Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) | Checkpoints 1-5 |
| St. Louis (STL) | Terminal 2 |
| Tulsa (TUL) | Main Terminal |
| Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) | Main Terminal & East Security Checkpoint |
| Washington, D.C.-Reagan (DCA) | Terminals A, B & C |
| Westchester County (HPN) | Main Terminal |
What is CLEAR?
CLEAR works separately from TSA PreCheck. With PreCheck, you get a dedicated line at airport security, can keep liquids and electronics in your bags and can keep a coat, belt, and shoes on. But think of CLEAR as a license to cut in line – you get whisked to the front of either the PreCheck line or standard security lane.
It’s a privately run trusted-traveler program that takes both your fingerprints and iris scans to confirm your identity before security screening. Once you’ve signed up (more on this shortly) and finalized your registration, you simply head to the CLEAR lane, confirm your identity at a kiosk, and get whisked away to the front of the TSA line by a CLEAR ambassador.
So what’s stopping you? Likely the high price tag – a year’s worth of CLEAR starts at $179. Compared to the $85 you pay for five years of TSA PreCheck (or $100 for Global Entry), it doesn’t make sense for every traveler. Not to mention, a number of travel rewards credit cards offer TSA PreCheck & Global Entry for free.
Luckily, there are ways to drop the cost of CLEAR considerably. For starters, all Delta SkyMiles or United MileagePlus members can enroll in CLEAR for just $119. So even if you’re not flying Delta or United, you can quickly sign up for a SkyMiles or MileagePlus account to capitalize on this lower cost.
But if you’ve got status with either airline or hold one of the co-branded credit cards, that price drops to $109. And the lowest pricing of all is reserved for top-tier elite status holders, who can select an annual membership as a free perk.
Finally, you can get CLEAR for as low as $9 a year by holding the American Express® Green Card. Amex recently overhauled this card, adding a $100 annual credit toward CLEAR membership – the first card to offer that perk.
Bottom Line
It’s great to see CLEAR’s footprint grow, but the addition of St. Louis (STL) marks only the 34th U.S. airport with CLEAR service. It's one of the biggest reasons we don't think it makes sense for every traveler. But adding more airport locations is always welcome news.
Lead photo courtesy of CLEAR
