Clear Lanes Close

(PHOTO FROM GUY KAWASAKI)
Soon after 9/11 a company started up to offer frequent travelers a quicker way through the airport. It was called Clear Lanes. For about $100 a year they would take some biometrics (iris scan and finger prints) and then rush you through the security lanes. In the first year I bought the pass. But I soon found it really was not worth it. So in the second year, I dropped my membership. Two problems came about for me. First, it was not available in many of the airports that I regularly fly out of. Sacramento decided not to use the system but so did a lot of other airports. Second, the TSA began offering experienced traveler lines at many airports. For example in Denver, if you are either a frequent flyer (with status on an airline) or flying first, you go to a special line which normally runs a bit faster.

When the TSA was created the Bush administration opted immediately for a government run screening system. I thought at the time and continue to believe that was an error in judgment. But from last night's post on the President's thoughts on health plans, I guess this is an example of a tool for discipline offered by a government run plan. In this case the tool was so efficient that it disciplined the private alternative right out of existence.