Clear Plus is a paid membership that allows travelers to bypass long airport check-in lines and go through dedicated lanes, avoiding the need to show passports and IDs.
The program costs $199 a year and is available at more than 50 U.S. airports.
A number of airlines also offer Clear Plus membership as a perk at different levels of their loyalty programs.
United Airlines (UAL) has offered it to members of its highest loyalty tier, Premier 1K, but as of May 1 the carrier will be scrapping it as a perk.
“United MileagePlus members receive discounted pricing for an annual Clear Plus membership,” an airline spokesperson told The Points Guy in a statement.
“Changes will be made to the pricing structure effective May 1 for any MileagePlus members either renewing their Clear Plus Membership or enrolling in the service for the first time.”
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United Air Premier 1K status comes with benefits
Premier 1K status is reached by taking either 60 qualifying United flights per year or spending roughly $28,000 a year, although there are many promotions to speed up and maximize points accrual) with the airline.
The status offers perks such as three checked bags and United Club access at the departure airport.
Those who already have Clear as a perk will be able to use it until their memberships expire. Going forward, only members of United Global Services will receive it free.
That final and very exclusive loyalty tier is given out only by invitation.
Everyone else will get only a $70 discount, bringing down the annual cost of Clear to $129.
United opened its first Club Fly location in Denver in 2022.
United Airlines
Airlines are tightening eligibility for perks (and travelers are unhappy)
This move by United Air makes Delta (DAL) the only airline to offer Clear as a benefit not just by invite but also to regular status holders. At the moment the subscription is given out to the top Diamond Medallion tier and the by-invite Delta 360 status.
Southwest (LUV) is another airline that recently tightened the perks it offers by scrapping its decades-old two-free-bags policy.
Starting from May 28, travelers in all but Southwest’s highest Wanna Get Away fare bundle and those who have free bag perks through loyalty status will need to pay to check bags on any flights.
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After it scrapped its open-seating policy last summer, Southwest has now gotten rid of the last feature that distinguished the carrier from rivals and thus prompted many travelers to choose it. Southwest Air now follows the model of lower-cost airlines: offering base fares and charging for extras like bags.
All this comes amid pressure from Southwest’s majority investor, the hedge fund Elliott Investment Management, and it has earned Southwest the wrath of many longtime passengers, who felt betrayed after years of loyalty to the airline.
“What’s changed is that we’ve come to realize that we need more revenue to cover our costs,” Southwest Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson said in a March 11 interview.
“We think that these changes that we’re announcing today will lead to less of that share shift than would have been the case otherwise.”
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