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Playing Catch-Up In the Fast Lane
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"All you can do is add bells and whistles around the edge of the experience," Mann said.
Thompson said in the future he envisions companies will be "powered by FLO," much like some computers advertise "Intel inside." FLO has teamed up with travel management companies such as Tzell Travel Group and Radius as the preferred provider of registered-traveler services. Recently FLO partnered with ASIS International, an organization of security management professionals, to exclusively provide its services to the group's 36,000 members and associated companies.
On a recent trip to Washington, Robert Langsfeld, president of Hotel Solutions in Nevada, was transferring at San Francisco International. The first leg of his trip was running late, and the airport's layout had Langsfeld passing through security again. He had just 15 minutes before his connecting plane took off when he inserted his FLO card into the fast-pass kiosk.
"I was in heaven," said Langsfeld, who managed to catch his flight. "The regular lines were just horrible. That one trip alone was worth having the whole thing."
Of course, FLO and Verified are both quick to point out each other's faults.
FLO says that Verified is not as transparent with its business practices and that Verified's registration kiosks staffed around the clock are inefficient.
Verified says FLO is too new and not yet established. In October FLO had agreed to purchase Unisys's rtGO smart cards and equipment for these fast lanes, but it struggled to secure the $5.25 million needed until May.
And there has been fighting over who is responsible for paying for the infrastructure for the fast-pass lanes. Verified pays to staff and operate its lanes at 17 of the 19 registered traveler airports. FLO operates one.
In 2005, the Transportation Security Administration piloted the registered-traveler concept at Orlando International Airport. Since then, the agency has worked with businesses to expand the program.
"If it wasn't for the private sector, it would have just died," said Hans Weber, chief executive of Tecop International, a security consulting firm in San Diego.
Today, TSA has authorized eight vendors, including FLO's recently acquired Unisys system, to provide registered traveler services. Only one besides Clear and FLO is up and running, and on a localized scale.
"It wouldn't surprise me if a major travel company were to launch a competing registered-traveler program," said Brill, chief executive of Verified Identity Pass, the New York company that operates Clear. "People are still waiting for us to prove the business model a little more."
