, reduce the wait time in security lines to as little as five minutes . Passengers using the Clear program doled out more than $ 200 a year . After announcing the shutdown , the company released no information on whether customers would receive refunds . John Harrington , a freelance photographer in Washington , renewed his Clear membership for the next two years about a month ago . He said he was disappointed to receive an e-mail from Clear officials saying the program had been terminated . Harrington relied on the quicker lanes when he traveled for assignments out of Reagan National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport . `` With Clear , I could get into my gate in less than 15 to 20 minutes , '' said Harrington , who is flying to San Francisco next week and will now have to arrive at the airport an hour earlier . `` Try that with regular airport security . It 's going to cost me time . '' The Clear program required applicants like Harrington to provide information such as a Social Security number and previous address for a background check . The applicant 's fingerprints and iris
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Verified Identity Pass Inc. 's Clear security system -- the program that expedited airport security line waits for paying customers -- ended operation Monday night because the company could n't reach a consensus with its senior creditors , according to its Web site . Clear promised to help passengers avoid security lines like this one at San Francisco International Airport . The New York-based company founded by entrepreneur Stephen Brill targeted business flyers , promising passengers that they would whisk through tedious airport security lanes more rapidly by being placed in private lines . Verified Identity Pass officials could n't be reached for comment . Clear 's fast-lane program began at Orlando -LRB- Florida -RRB- International Airport in 2005 . By the time the company shut down , it was operating in more than 18 locations , including major airports in Atlanta , Georgia ; Denver , Colorado ; San Francisco , California ; and Washington . USA Today reported that the company had about 250,000 members . With nearly 700 million passengers traveling domestically in 2006 , Clear company officials touted their program as a way to help avoid bottlenecks and , in some instances