Q&A on the News
Q: I heard that you can now have an eye scan and thumbprint for TSA Precheck at the airport. If this is true, where do you get this done? Is there a charge?
—Mary Lou Brooks, Dunwoody
A: The Transportation Security Administration does not currently use eye scans or thumbprints for TSA Precheck screening, Mark Howell, a regional spokesman for the agency, told Q&A on the News in an email.
While the agency did briefly operate a voluntary fingerprint scanning program at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport this summer, Howell said the project was used for data collection only.
However, there is an independent company called Clear that uses fingerprint scans to offer its members access to special, expedited security lines. Clear began offering its service at the Atlanta airport earlier this year, with annual membership costing $179.
Travelers interested in signing up for Clear can register online (clearme.com). After that, members must have their biometrics scanned at registration centers, which are located in the airport's North and South domestic terminals.
Fast Copy News Service wrote this column; Dillon Thompson contributed. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
