A competitor to the failed Clear paid security line operation says it wants to relaunch the service around the country, but Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is hesitant.
FLO Corp. has expressed interest in starting operations at Hartsfield-Jackson after the failure of Clear last month, airport general manager Ben DeCosta said.
But with revamped federal security checkpoints at Hartsfield-Jackson, "we're in great shape. I don't know whether there's a business case for this," he said. "We'll look at probably how to use the [former Clear] space for frequent fliers."
FLO managing partner Fred Fischer said the company is interested in building its business under the Registered Traveler program, in which fliers are pre-cleared to speed security screening, and is working with airports to reopen.
A potential market for new memberships could include those who paid about $200 for one-year Clear memberships that they can no longer use. Clear claimed about 20,000 metro area customers.
DeCosta said he does not yet know if the airport will contract with FLO for the Registered Traveler security lines, or if it would need to go through a competitive bid process to hire a new contractor for the program.
Chantilly, Va.-based FLO, which is certified as a Registered Traveler operator by the Transportation Security Administration, bid on the program at Hartsfield-Jackson and lost to Clear. It had operated Registered Traveler lanes at Reno-Tahoe International Airport but shut down that operation amid uncertainty about the program.
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