Jacksonville Implements Preferred Traveler Program

Mike Meroney isn't a big fan of government bureaucracy, making his fairly frequent trips through airport security somewhat of a recurring nightmare.

Getting to flights at Jacksonville International Airport might become a bit easier, he hopes, now that he's become one of the 350 or so local travelers who have signed up for the airport's Preferred Traveler program.

It's a decision Meroney made, he said, in "self-defense." "I've come close to punching some of those ferrets," he said.

Whether hoping to stave off irritation or just make frequent trips a little easier, travelers seem to be embracing the new program, with many flyers excited about the possibilities of bypassing the usual security lanes at the airport.

Cardholders will be allowed to use the lane formerly reserved for people such as airline crews. Those in the program will still undergo Transportation Security Administration scrutiny, but won't have to stand in line as long to get to the checkpoints.

"It's a matter of convenience," said Don Kiernan, a sales director who jets somewhere about three times a month. "Travel is enough of a hassle as it is. Anything that makes it easier is good."

The program is similar to the federal Registered Traveler program, which allows members to use special security lanes at all participating airports around the United States. For now, though, being a member of the program administered by Jacksonville Beach-based Vigilant Solutions provides the perk only at JIA.

Vigilant is in the process of being certified as a Registered Traveler vendor, said company Chief Technology Officer Julie Venditti, hoping to be the second program behind Verified Identity Pass Inc., the company operating the Registered Traveler program at Orlando International Airport and the only certified vendor so far.

When Vigilant does get certified, it will collect biometric information such as fingerprints and iris scans from its members and get them cleared by TSA, allowing them to then use Registered Traveler lanes across the country.

But Vigilant won't be alone in providing that service, which costs $149.99 to $349.99 a year. Competition is likely to come in the form of Verified Identity Pass, whose Clear-brand RT program is in operation in Orlando and will soon be rolled out at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Indianapolis International Airport, New York JFK International Airport and San Jose Mineta International Airport.

"We'll set up a store in Jacksonville," said Steven Brill, the company's chief executive officer. "We want to enter all markets."

The Clear program costs $99.95 a year, and has seen about 7,000 people sign up, Brill said, including about 3,000 in Orlando, where the company started a pilot program about 18 months ago.

"We expect there will be programs at 20 airports by the end of the year," Brill said. "My guess is there will be half a million to a million people signed up."

The company is in talks with a number of airports, the CEO said, but has not talked to JIA. "Didn't know JIA was looking for a service provider until it announced they found one," Brill said.

The overall Registered Traveler market, he said, could be as many as 8 million people, with Clear having 35 percent to 40 percent of it.

One of the ways the local service provider hopes to beat that competition is by offering perks beyond a fast security-lane transit. Gold members -- $249.99 a year -- will have access to special parking lot entrance and exit lanes now used by employees, where they won't have to deal with the toll plaza, while platinum members, at $349.99 will have access to a VIP lounge being built as part of the ongoing terminal expansion. The parking perk will kick in over the next few weeks, while club users will have to wait until the summer.

Of the people who have signed up so far, Venditti said, about half have been silver-level customers, with the remaining half split between gold and platinum. The Jacksonville Aviation Authority gets $25 for each silver member, $50 for gold members and $75 for platinum members, meaning the authority has gained about $15,000 in revenue so far in the program.

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