Press Release

 

February 9, 2006
1,000 Members Pass Through ClearLane in One Day. Over 15,000 Members Enrolled in Registered Traveler Program in Orlando; Lanes Now Absorbing as Much as 10% of Traffic During Peak Hours.

 

ORLANDO - Verified Identity Pass, Inc. today announced that it has reached two significant milestones - the passage of 1,000 Members through the ClearLanes in one day and the enrollment of its 15,000th Member. The company also announced a remarkable finding associated with the program's ability to absorb more people moving faster through its lanes: During peak morning hours, ClearLanes absorb as much as 10% of airport traffic through security lanes at the Orlando Airport, even though Clear's two lanes represent a smaller percentage of the security lanes at the Airport. Metrics kept by Clear and released previously indicate that the maximum wait time for Clear members in Orlando is three minutes compared to a maximum wait time at other lanes of more than thirty one minutes.

 

The company also reported that throughput has been steadily increasing since the launch of verification lanes on July 19, 2005, with Mondays usually the busiest day of the week. On Monday, February 6, 2006, 1,047 Members were verified at the ClearLanes.

 

The success of the private-sector initiative in Orlando - the only such program operating at a North American airport - validates that there is substantial market demand for a voluntary, fee-based registered traveler program. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans a national roll out of this program on June 20, 2006.

 

Verified Identity Pass has recently announced plans to operate in San Jose, Indianapolis and Sacramento airports upon TSA approval. The company is also in discussion with most other major airports around the country. The Clear Card will be interoperable at any airport with a registered traveler program regardless of the service provider at that airport.

 

"We're delighted with the continuing growth of Clear in Orlando," said Verified Identity Pass founder and CEO Steven Brill. "It's especially gratifying because all of these members have signed up before the program has rolled out to other airports. Once that happens, membership will increase even more dramatically."

Brill also noted "the fact that 1,000 people a day are now using the ClearLanes in just one airport and that they are using the lane in disproportionate numbers compared to non-members using other lanes, yet still moving through faster validates the premise - and promise - of the program, which is that registered traveler can enhance not only convenience but also security by removing a lot of the hay from the proverbial haystack that the Transportation Security Administration confronts every day in screening air travelers."

 

On January 20, 2006, TSA announced its intention to grant registered travelers additional benefits, possibly including not having to take off shoes and outer garments or remove laptops from their cases, contingent upon service providers financing improvements in security lane screening technology at registered traveler lanes.

 

Clear does not track Members' movements, and all data is held under strict privacy controls. The privacy policy and controls are audited regularly by an outside privacy auditor. Membership also includes an identity theft warranty which serves as an added protection for Clear Members' personal information. In addition to advocating stringent privacy safeguards for this new industry, Verified ID has also been at the forefront of interoperability standards to encourage the growth of the voluntary credentialing industry.

 

About Verified Identity Pass and Clear
Verified Identity Pass, Inc. was founded in 2003 by journalist and entrepreneur Steven Brill. Clear is the first privately run Registered Traveler program operating at a U.S. Airport. Brill's partners in VERIFIED ID include Lockheed Martin and ARINC.

 

Clear has been operational since July 19, 2005 at Orlando International Airport. Open to all travelers at a fee of $79.95 per year, enrollees begin an application online at flyclear.com and then submit biometric data (fingerprint and iris images) at the ClearSpace enrollment stations in the airport. Once approved by TSA, Members use the specially designated ClearLanes upon arrival at the airport's security checkpoints for expedited passage.