By the end of August, a certain subset of travelers at SeaTac Airport will be able to use a new biometric identification technology for a swifter journey through security. A pilot program of so-called “eGates” is being debuted at select airports by CLEAR and TSA. This is the first time that this technology is being used in the U.S.
Read on for all the details.
When will they be available?
The eGates will appear at SeaTac Airport during the week of August 31. We’ll update this post if we learn of the exact day. The timeline of the rest of the national rollout has yet to be announced.
Who can use the eGates?
The eGates are not mandatory, and in fact not every traveler will be able to opt in to use them. CLEAR+ members are the only ones who will have the choice to make use of the eGates. The optional CLEAR+ service costs $209 a year. If you have CLEAR+ but do not want to use the eGates you can bypass them and proceed through the CLEAR Pod and TSA podium instead.
How will they work?
Here is how CLEAR eGates work: after scanning their boarding pass in the CLEAR+ Lane, travelers go through the eGate which quickly verifies identity with a face scan. The eGate process should take about six seconds or less. As CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker told Axios, this method of going through airport security is designed to be “frictionless” and “more secure.” After passing through the eGate the traveler can proceed directly to bag screening without stopping at a TSA podium.
What is the purpose of eGates?
This is a pilot program that is preceding a national rollout. For now, it will be debuted at three airports: Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) and Reagan National (DCA), as well as Seattle-Tacoma (SEA). Millions of flyers are expected to pass through U.S. airports in 2026 for the World Cup. It is hoped that this technology will help speed up TSA lines in time for that event. “Our expectation is to roll this out nationwide and so that by the time the World Cup comes around next summer our airports are competing and leading with the airports around the world,” Seidman-Becker said to Axios.
You can read more about eGates on the CLEAR website.