The wealthy are cutting the line at the airport, Disney World and ski resorts

[IronLionZion]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/08/business/line-skipping-clear-disney/index.html



New York
CNN
—
Cutting in front of someone who’s been waiting patiently in line used to be unethical, bad manners, taboo. Now, businesses are letting people pay for the privilege of skipping the line.

Across everything from ski lifts to dating apps, and fueled by relatively new technology, there’s been an explosion of options and services that let wealthier people pay to go first.

At the airport, travelers with a Clear membership — about $189 a year — are escorted to the front of TSA security lines by company “ambassadors” (as the people behind them in line grumble). Clear has rapidly grown to around 19 million members, and it plans to expand further into the hospitality, health care, financial services and online shopping industries.

Dating app Tinder offers a new $499-a-month membership with a “skip the line” feature that prioritizes a dater’s profile. Snowbird and other ski resorts, in a controversial change, allow visitors who pay extra to access expedited ski lifts. In December, Killington introduced a “Four-Day Fast Track” for $199 on top of its daily regular fee of about $165, and it sometimes sells out. Universal Studios theme park offers an unlimited “Express Pass” starting at $109.99 per person — on top of the admission price — which allows holders to skip the line right on the spot.

And, most troubling of all, during the pandemic, wealthy patients paid top dollar to jump to the front of the Covid-19 vaccine queue.

Paying to cut the line makes it longer for everyone else. I would love to ban CLEAR from all airports.

[mucifer]

1. People with serious illnesses who have endurance issues should be the only

ones allowed to cut in line IMO.

[BannonsLiver]

6. *and those with TSA pre check

Although technically those with TSA pre check are t cutting the line, they have their own. At $80 for 5 years it’s a bargain compared to clear.

[IronLionZion]

10. TSA Precheck is a separate process that includes background investigations

So there is value to having it.

CLEAR adds no value at all, just a way to pay to skip the line.

[Cheezoholic]

29. I don't think I've waited more than 5 min with my TSA pre-check

I actually am going to renew this year and noticed, like everything else, they've privatized it. At least the last time I registered I did it directly through TSA.

[Liberal In Texas]

54. TSA Pre-check works just fine, even in really busy airports.

The queue is usually only a few minutes, most of the time I walk right up to the agent.

Paying for privilege has been around for a long time. It's just that now people that aren't particularly wealthy can pay extra for some bennies if they don't mind forking over the money.

[Lochloosa]

2. I've stopped going to concerts for the same reason. Try getting a decent seat at any venue.

My last ticket to see the Grateful Dead in '95 cost 37 bucks. People are paying 1000's to get decent seats for Dead and Company at the Sphere.

[IronLionZion]

4. Ticket prices are completely insane

with services like Stubhub selling them at huge markups plus lots of BS fees added on. Just a way to profit with no added value over the venue simply selling tickets like they used to. It's legalized organized scalping.

[ificandream]

33. Blame it on The Eagles.

They were the first ones to jack up the prices. Everyone else followed suit after that.

[Sky Jewels]

19. We like to see bands on the way up ... or down.

Concerts in smaller venues are great and more affordable. There are a lot of great options for live music, assuming you live in a metro area.

[GreenWave]

3. When I was young, I looked like Young Joseph Stalin

Very much like this beach who stole my look after traveling back in time...


Anyway at the Borispol airport, an elderly Babushka saw me and motioned me to go into the extremely vacant VIP line. The dude down there was waving me forward. Then an airplane full of rude ass passengers pushed the Babushka back to the end of the line. I motioned to the dude the number two. Pointing to myself as #2 and the babushka as #1. He agreed. Babushka was crying as she was never so treated perhaps in her whole life.

[Johnny2X2X]

5. Theme parks

In the Midwest, we have Cedar Point, the rollercoaster capitol of the world. A trip there means 12 hours of waiting in lines for 20 minutes of ride time. In recent decades they started offering Easy pass line skip for an extra $120 a person. You still wait 10 minutes on average, but it just makes the trip so much more worth it. You get to ride eery coaster in the park, several times for the best ones in a single day.

I do feel terrible looking at the people standing in line for 2-4 hours sometimes to ride a 2-1/2 minute coaster. People will pay for convenience, they'll pay to skip line.

[CrispyQ]

20. Wait 12 hours then get stuck upside down for a few hours.

I know, the chances of a roller coaster mishap are small, but between that story & the video of the support structure that was completely sheared away, I'm okay to say my roller coaster days are over.

[Bristlecone]

7. I had Clear for a while, I thought is saved zero time

And their biometrics always required my using different methods. I dumped it.

As for making it longer for everyone - at least relative to Airport travel - they usually have their own lines. Maybe the argument could be made that the resources used for these dedicated lines could be used to expand access for all, but in the same vein, it appears(at least in the airports I travel) that these lines actually remove people from the traditional line, making is shorter for them.
I’d argue that removing your shoes and the body scanning practices are the real culprit. With TSA Pre-check and Clear, you have to have a background check, and they forego the shoes, computer, full body scan typically, speeding up the process.

YMMV.

[IronLionZion]

12. CLEAR people still go through standard or TSA Precheck screening

they just don't have to wait in line for it. When people are standing in line, the CLEAR workers try to get folks to sign up on the spot and tell you which credit cards cover the cost. They tell you that you can skip the line if you sign up now.

It's aggressive in Orlando, which I travel to often since my parents moved there for retirement.

[Lifeafter70]

26. I flew from Seattle to Sacrmento

Last monday. General boarding was a shorter wait than clear check.

[Ms. Toad]

45. Every place I've seen Clear,

it works as described in the article. You check in at the Clear kiosk, and someone escorts you to the front of the regular screening line. (In Cleveland - if they are using the bomb sniffing dogs, you enter right at the entrance to the dog walk).

(TSA PreCheck does have a separate line.)

[AllaN01Bear]

8. i would love to stick my leg out and trip one .

[Johonny]

9. LA has rich people car lanes now

If you're willing to pay a toll, you get to use reserved rich people lanes to avoid traffic.

[jimfields33]

11. I think anyone can use them.

Considering the traffic in LA it might be worth the cost to save hours of time.

[Johonny]

14. If you can afford it

Not everyone can drop commute money to get to work everyday. For rich people the expense is nothing. For the poor it is a luxury they can't afford.

[jimfields33]

24. I'm sure that's true.

I’m just saying occasionally it may be worth it.

[brooklynite]

57. If everybody uses the toll lane then nobody is

The whole point is to charge what the market will bear to keep traffic in the lane flowing freely. If everyone can use the lane then it will flow as slowly as regular lanes do.

Related question: do “poor people” also deserve free parking when they get to work? (In my 35 years I —never— drove to work. That’s what the subway is for.

[IronLionZion]

18. And here in the DC area, the price varies based on traffic

so higher traffic means higher toll

[RamblingRose]

31. As does Atlanta (with varying rates).

[brooklynite]

56. If you imagine HOT lanes are only used by "rich"

Let a transportation planner with 35 years of experience dissuade you.

[Blues Heron]

13. it doesnt seem very secure to have zillions of loopholes in the security process

like who gets to leave their shoes on. Its all so immensely absurd anymore.

[Happy Hoosier]

43. TSA Pre-Check and Global Entry include background checks....

rather more secure that the usual TSA nonsense.

[Blues Heron]

46. Wouldn't the terrorists work that angle then? I heard you go down to Staples and get the card( after paying of course. )

Wouldn’t the bad guys specifically recruit people with global entry etc. it’s like leaving the door wide open.

[CrispyQ]

15. I found my mother's ration stamps after she died.

She was a little girl & my grandmother had to sign for them. That's how things were rationed back then - everyone got a little. Now, it's acceptable to give (sell) it all to whoever can pay the most for it & make everyone else go without. It's kind of like The Highlander. There can be only one.

[MichMan]

59. WWII ration stamps were frequently sold on the black market

[CrispyQ]

67. All this talk of ration stamps reminds me of the old S&H Green Stamps.

There's one for the younger gen.

[Diamond_Dog]

16. Disgusting.

[honest.abe]

17. We paid extra for the Disney "fast pass".

In our situation we had to due to the long lines and the short time we were going to be there. If we didnt we would have been standing in line most of the time we were there. No fun at all. I did feel a bit awkward passing up all those in the regular line. I dont think we will ever go back to Disney if they got rid of the "fast pass" option.

[bamagal62]

23. We went to Disney once and

Spent the WHOLE day and only rode 3 rides. Spent the rest of the time standing in lines.
(Even Disney’s fast pass isn’t good)
The next day, we went to universal, paid the extra fee, and rode all the rides several times.
Worth every penny.
Luckily my kids are grown now and I never have to go to a theme park ever again!

[Deep State Witch]

34. We're Going in 2 Weeks

We're doing one day at Galaxy's Edge, then going on a cruise out of Port Canaveral. I'm wondering if I should get skip-the-line tickets because we're only going to be there one day. I'm hoping that it's not overly crowded on a Wednesday in late February.

[Happy Hoosier]

39. If you can afford it, I do recommend it.

Rise of the Resistance in Galaxy's Edge is amazing, but the wait time is routinely 90 minutes. Being able to use the "lightening lane" is worth it for sure, IMO.

[Deep State Witch]

48. Thanks!

Thanks for the info!

[Sympthsical]

51. You've picked a good time to go

I learned from friends in L.A. who worked at the parks that February is generally the best month of the year, and Superbowl Sunday is the best weekend to go.

Six or seven years ago, we did exactly that. There was no one there. We finished half the park before 10am. Mix in three fast passes, and it was a completely frictionless experience. Rode the Matterhorn and Space Mountain three times each. Same experience the next day at California Adventure. Went in the morning and there wasn't even a line for the roller coaster. You basically just walked right on.

Had a total blast.

[sinkingfeeling]

21. CLEAR is in direct competition with Global Entry.

[IronLionZion]

22. No it's not. The misconception is they both have biometric identity verification

Global Entry and TSA Precheck have background checks. You can do both and also have CLEAR. CLEAR is only a way to pay to not stand in line. CLEAR people still have to go through standard or precheck screening, they just get moved to the front of the line.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

25. Money over people

is bane of my lifetime.

Corporations are not people and do not CARE about people. they care about shareholders and avoiding taxes and profit !

[MenloParque]

27. Disneyland VIP pass with tour guide is the way though. My family loves Disney but I will only go with VIP as the lines

Are ridiculously long. 1-2 hour waits just to ride a single ride??? Nope sorry Disney you got to do better so yeah I gottta pay out the wazzoo to go to Disney.

[Sneederbunk]

28. I am Casablanca shocked.

[Old Crank]

30. Those services just aren't worth it for me.

I fly, maybe one round trip per year. We just get to the airport a bit early and the lines are shorter normally.

[Happy Hoosier]

40. For one trip a year, I'd agree.

I travel about 15 times a year (mostly work, some pleasure). Totally worth it for me.

[Smackdown2019]

32. Define wealthy?

If they are wealthy, they have their own plane.......

[IronLionZion]

36. Trump claims to be wealthy yet he's always asking his supporters for money

so it's relative

[Joinfortmill]

35. This is what happens when there is no other alternative. Trains, people, trains.

[marmar]

37. I have CLEAR, but I'm just going to let it expire.

At some airports - Atlanta comes to mind - it's not that helpful honestly. Global Entry was a much better investment

[Happy Hoosier]

41. My travel card covers Global Entry, so yeah...

... . do that.

[marmar]

47. I have it already. I like it a lot

[MistakenLamb]

38. i get Clear for "free" as an American Express perk

and i am hardly wealthy. i make median income

[brooklynite]

58. J'accuse!

But you’re paying a fee for that premium American Express card and someone will say that’s unfair.

[Happy Hoosier]

42. I'll be a little anti-leveler here I guess..

I don't get lots of time to go on vacation. When I DO go on vacation, I want it to be as stress-free and satisfying as possible. If paying an extra couple hunnert bucks means I don't have to wait in line for hours, I will do that.

If that makes me a bad person, so be it.

[mike_c]

44. in the US, everything is for sale

For people who can buy longer life expectancy, moving up lines is small change.

[Zeitghost]

49. Next thing you know

They will charge one price to ship something in a week and a whole lot more to get it there overnight... But it;'s the same distance?


Time is money and has always been for sale.

[brooklynite]

50. Youndon't need to be wealthy to get Precheck...

Precheck in $80 for five years. Not a consequential amount on top of a plane fare.

You do need to be prepared to submit to a security screening.

[brooklynite]

52. For those looking for something new to rant about

Delta in Los Angeles has a private security line at its Private First Class check-in lounge with a private elevator that takes you straight to the Lounge. A great feature.

[Pacifist Patriot]

53. Sadly nothing new here at all.

[Sympthsical]

55. This is more slightly upper middle class than wealthy

If you've planned a vacation, a couple hundred bucks to remove some friction isn't going to make most people with a little disposable income blink.

It does suck, because what were more communal universal experiences are becoming more of a "Suck it, poors!" situation.

On the other hand . . . I am absolutely the kind of person who pays for these things. I am very, very frugal in my day-to-day life. But on vacation? No. I will pay whoever it takes to not stand in line somewhere. I will break someone else's leg for priority entry. "Honey, could you climb that tree and saw off that branch? It's blocking my view of the, uhm, power lines . . ."

We're trying to plan a Tahoe weekend roughly end of month, and I didn't even know priority lifts were a thing. Now I'm all googling about it because of this article. Not that it's ever that bad. Seriously. I'm not sure I've ever actually stood in a lift line longer than a few minutes tops. That's a situation where I'm not sure it's worth the money.

[EllieBC]

60. That's everywhere for a lot of things.

Up here I paid for a private eval for my youngest instead of waiting nearly 2 years.

Last month I paid for expedited service on my US passport.

Many things I pay for expedited shipping.

And your damned right I always pay for more leg room on the planes.

And I’m barely middle class by the standards in this province.

[DFW]

61. I never looked into Clear, got TSA Pre long ago.

I take enough flights within and leaving the USA to make it worthwhile. My wife travels only occasionally within the USA, and so she never applied for it. We don't even know if non-citizen non residents are given it at all. We were told that non-citizen non-residents are not allowed global entry, so we never bothered with that. If that has changed, maybe we will. But if we arrive together in the USA from Europe, and I have global entry where my wife can't have it, it's useless to us.

By the way, if Trump is sentenced to serve time, and the country club prisons are temporarily full, I would gladly contribute to a fund that would put him at the front of the line.............

[IronLionZion]

62. German citizens are eligible for Global Entry, along with the following countries

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/eligibility

[DFW]

66. You are so right! Thanks!

The reason I thought she was ineligible as a German was because when we last inquired, it was before 2020, when German citizens were first admitted into the program. We never saw or heard that there had been a change in status. At $100 a pop, you’d think they would be looking to sign up 1000 people an hour.

[GenThePerservering]

63. I'm constantly searched and interrogated when I fly

so I don't even bother with pre-check or anything else. I'd just get pulled out of line and frisked anyway. On my way to Melbourne, Australia once I was searched four times...when I finally made it to Tullamarine I was taken aside by customs and drilled as to where I was going on Melbourne, what I was doing and where was I staying, etc. etc. My Aussie friends apologised on behalf of their country. On the way back I was frisked and searched, and almost got into a fight in customs with a snotty customs officer. That was the worst but other experiences aren't always that much better.

My husband just waits patiently while I work my way through TSA, get pulled aside, have my baggage (which is never very much) searched. The TSA people are usually very polite and I'm polite back, but man, it does get wearying. I travel a fair amount, too.

I've taken to joking that I must look like some notorious international espionage agent, or something.

[IronLionZion]

64. I have TSA pre-check and global entry and am often selected for extra searching anyway

it's the brown skin. Make them do it out in the open with people watching. It's way worse if you let them take you into a private room.

CLEAR would not change anything except you wouldn't have to stand in line before they search you. Some people think that's worth $189 a year.

[GenThePerservering]

65. I understand what you're saying

I'm day-glo white and I get selected out, too, but I'm thinking it's because I look rather androgynous and don't wear the clothing typically expected of a female (ripped jeans/tights and midriff, I guess). I get mistaken for a boy a lot and maybe androgyneity disturbs them, FFS. It's not like I can help it. And what do they think either of is gonna do?