CLEAR has notified customers that their facilities at Los Angeles LAX Airport Terminal 4, used by American Airlines will be temporarily unavailable with no re-opening dates specified.
Customers are advised to use the CLEAR lanes in the adjacent Terminal 5 and Tom Bradley International Terminal which is of course a laughable suggestion.
According to the email that just came in there will be some sort of construction in Terminal 4 which will impact the security checkpoint area and cause CLEAR to be unavailable until further notice.
Here is the email I received a few hours ago:
It’s hard for me to understand what exactly would impact the CLEAR service but keep the remaining security lanes intact, including PreCheck and the AA Priority AAcess lines.
I won’t be in the U.S. before April/May so there is no chance for me to inspect what this is all about right now but given the mess that T4 usually is, I’m expecting the worst.
The notice about CLEAR lanes at LAX reads in regards to Terminal 4:
Please note! American Airlines terminal (T4) will be undergoing construction starting February 16th, 2022, which will impact the CLEAR Lane. Please head to T5 or Tom Bradley International Terminal to continue taking advantage of your membership — both are under a five minute walk away from T4.
I’m really curious about what they’re doing there and how this impacts the security lane situation in general.
Terminal 4 has two different areas for security checkpoints, the general area (on the right-hand side) for all passengers and then the Priority Lane (to the left) where there are also Pre-Check and CLEAR lanes.
What kind of construction can they be doing there that it would only clear at these two checkpoints?
Walking over to Terminal 5 or TBIT just to use CLEAR for security clearance and then making your way back to T4 is totally out of the question, especially if you need counter assistance such as for checking a bag. The only way this could work is for someone with carry-on only, being dropped off at TBIT and then using the checkpoint there.
TBIT is mostly quiet these days but that’s not a guarantee either. The American Express Centurion Lounge is still closed as well otherwise it would be a nice pairing.
Either way, I hope that the CLEAR facility will be back up and running smoothly at Terminal 4. I consider it to be one of the worst terminals at LAX to clear security.
When departing on American Airlines from LAX there is a small perk for travelers with oneWorld Emerald status of a partner carrier as they’re allowed to use the Flagship Check-in at LAX which also provides an escort to the security checkpoint, skipping the lines. Note that AA’s own Emerald customers can not use this feature.
Conclusion
CLEAR has notified members that their lanes at LAX Terminal will be unavailable from February 16, 2022 until further notice subject to completion of some unspecified construction at the terminal.
Maybe one of our readers can chime in what they’re doing there at Terminal 4 and how it impacts the wait times in general. I always dread using that terminal during the last few years.
