An Inside Look at How Badly the Pandemic Hit Clear at the Start of 2020

The coronavirus pandemic momentarily halved Clear’s revenue at some airports

The near-total shutdown of air travel during the coronavirus pandemic could have been an existential crisis for Clear, a company best known for ferrying travelers to the front of the airport security line.

But despite massive downturns in the number of people flying, the coronavirus pandemic only had a temporary impact on Clear’s airport business, according to revenue documents obtained by OneZero from airports around the country. And at the same time, Clear has set its eyes on expansion in other areas like health and biometric payments, as OneZero reported on Tuesday.

Clear Conquered U.S. Airports. Now It Wants to Own Your Entire Digital Identity.

These documents also detail how the company treated its own frontline workers, promising that their jobs would not be lost and paying for health insurance even while some workers were asked to go on temporary leave.

Clear generates revenue by charging users a $179 annual subscription fee to…