Joe and I have been members of CLEAR for years. We also have TSA Pre-Check so we’ve admittedly always gone back and forth with whether or not we’re actually going to keep our CLEAR membership. But so far we haven’t gotten rid of it.
After COVID hit, CLEAR, of course, with its biometric technology, touted how they were touch-free. Well, that was only partially true – they weren’t touch free for everyone. But apparently that’s recently changed, at least to an extent.
Joe and I were on our way home from Austin and used CLEAR “because we could” (I swear, that’s sometimes the sole reason why we use it, even when the Pre-Check line is empty LOL). The CLEAR representative asked me if I wanted to use the iris or finger scan and I said finger, because I don’t have an iris scan on file.
He asked why and I explained that when we registered, I was too short for the iris scanner to see my eyes – it didn’t rotate far down enough (if you’re new to our blog, heads up…well, down…I have a growth disorder and am 4’6″ tall). The rep said they had recently done some updates and maybe it would work better for me now; was I willing to give it a try?
We were early for our flight, so I said yes.
It took 2 tries – and me standing on my tippy toes LOLOL – but it worked! The iris scanner “saw” my retinas and I now officially have biometric eye info in the CLEAR scanner.
“Just like a big girl!” I said, with a HUGE smile on my face. 😉
I’ll probably still use the finger scanner – it’ll be easier than standing on my toes. But I’m still glad that they were able to get it to work for “very” short people, like me.
True, the system still isn’t 100% accessible. At 4’6”, I had to stand on my toes to get the system to work, which means people shorter than me, including most of those who use wheelchairs for mobility, probably won’t be able to use the iris scanner yet.
But they’re getting closer and I’ll give them that.
Feature Image: CLEAR
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
2 comments
I am your alternate double as I am 6′-4″ and took several tries to get an iris scan to work…I was too tall!
Clear can have issues with older people when the kiosk outliners are too bright. The light reflects off of even the slightest cataracts and won’t provide a reading. Asking the Clear operators to turn down the lights will usually work, though some are not happy about being told how to make it work.