Delta Air Lines today became the first legacy carrier to sponsor Registered Traveler lanes through an agreement with Verified Identity Pass' Clear to launch the program at its terminals in New York's John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports and Los Angeles International Airport. The companies expect to launch the lanes this summer.
As Cincinnati and Salt Lake City airports already operate the Registered Traveler program, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport plans to launch lanes, the program now is moving toward operations at Delta's major hubs.
The companies in a joint statement today said Delta would embark on a marketing campaign that targets its SkyMiles frequent flyer members, host enrollment stations at lounges in the Atlanta airport and offer SkyMiles members bonus miles for Clear membership, which costs $100 per year, not including a $28 Transportation Security Administration screening fee.
Though a few foreign carriers, including Air France, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, have sponsored Registered Traveler lanes in conjunction with Clear, and AirTran Airways announced an agreement with the provider last summer, most major domestic carriers have been reluctant to adopt the Registered Traveler program, and their lobbying group, the Air Transport Association, has remained opposed to the program. However, Registered Traveler providers have been courting the largest U.S. carriers and said they have sought ways to work with airlines to get the most frequent of its flyers to the front of the airport security line
(BTNonline, Sept. 24).