Biometrics Helps Travelers 'Clear' Airport Security

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — It's travel season and with that means long wait times at the airport.

But one company is allowing you to bypass the security lines for your biometric data.

LAX is one of the world's busiest airports -- nearly 90 million passengers each year. With that comes long lines, especially with TSA security.

Clear is a biometric identity company that uses your fingerprints or irises to get through the security process.

Here's how it works -- first you scan your boarding pass. Then either your fingers or your eyes.

Once you are clear, you bypass the ID line and go directly to the next security checkpoint.

"Clear allows you to know with certainty that you are going to get into the security process in a short period of time," said Howard Kass, executive vice president of the company.

Clear is currently in 28 major US airports and growing.

An Arizona couple interviewed at LAX had mixed reactions to it.

"I think it's pretty cool that they can scan your iris or fingerprints and you can go right through," said Heather Morgan.

"I don't trust a private company having that much of my identifiable information. What are they going to do with it and how secure is it really," said Chris Heronemus.

A concern some people have especially after all the recent cyberattacks. But should we be concerned about our biometric data?

CBSLA went to security expert Adam Coughran to find out.

"Society as a whole is moving toward the technology of being really paperless, and using things that are harder to fraud at this time -- fingertips and faces," said Coughran.

Coughran says that biometrics are everywhere.

"It's easier to counterfeit a paper ID with holograms and some of the security measures for TSA if they are moving people through quickly. Might not catch a really good fake or really good fraudulent identification where as with Clear, they are using your biometrics and it's much harder to fraud or fake a finger print or eye scan or face scan than it is a paper document," said Coughran.

The company stresses keeping your data safe and secure is their priority.

And while skipping the line may sound enticing, it's completely up to you if you want to share your biometrics.

So how much will this cost you?

A membership goes anywhere from $79 to $179 a year.