There are a lot of angry frequent fliers today. Verified Identity Pass, the company that offered the Clear program has shut down. For an annual fee, Clear helped travelers skirt through faster airport security checkpoints. Members of the Clear program had to go through an intensive screening process and pay membership fees of 178 to $199 per year. Because the company is in bad financial straits, Verified Identity Pass is not issuing refunds.

The company said it wasn't able to negotiate a deal with its creditors, and its Clear fast-lane security check service stopped operations abruptly late Monday. More than a quarter million customers won't get refunds of membership fees that ranged from $178 to $199 per year and many people bought multi-year memberships. Some Clear members found out via e-mail but many did not learn that the program was over until they showed up at the airport.

The program was founded in 2003 by Steven Brill but he left the company in February when a group of investors took control. Many travelers are concerned about what happens to their identifying information. If the company files for bankruptcy protection and is sold off there is the faint possibility that creditors could argue that the information be sold to the highest bidder to pay creditors but this seems unlikely because the courts will likely protect customers.

One lingering question is whether or not this type of service can work in the future. Have the changes in the TSA and airlines made the service less of a draw? The AP quotes Air Transport Association spokesman David Castelveter who said that the service "provided no security benefit, and it charged you for what the TSA and the airlines gave you at no cost." Some Clear members say that the service saved them time and gave them a bit of relief from the hassles of the regular security lines. The loss of this program may make airline elite status programs and private jet charter options more appealing again to those looking for ways to fly with less stress.

Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the luxury hotel chain that is for the most part centered in Northern California has added another hotel to their list. The Domain Hotel in Sunnyvale, California is in the home of the former Radisson and caters to business travelers in the Silicon Valley. Joie de Vivre has given the hotel a makeover and it now has 124 rooms and 12 suites on three levels decorated in two themes -- Tranquility and Awakening. Guests are offered a choice of the two. The Awakening rooms have a green color scheme with natural accents including sprigs of lemongrass. The Tranquility rooms are done in blue hues with a lavender scent. All rooms feature flat-panel HD televisions that double as 32-inch computer monitors, Lather bath products, sleep number beds, complimentary wired and wireless hi-speed Internet access, iPod docking stations and streamlined workspaces. The hotel offers a complimentary nightly wine-down hour featuring local-vineyard California wines, daily shuttle service to/from local corporate offices, a business center, a complimentary hot breakfast and at check-in, a choice of either relaxing or energizing choice of sachet or herbally-infused cookie. Rates start at $119.

Following on the heels of American Airlines and others, United Airlines is announcing an overhaul of their business class cabins. The new international United Business cabin will have a seat that reclines to a 6-foot, 4-inch lie-flat bed. Each seat offers audio and video on-demand and a video screen for viewing more than 150 hours of movies and TV programs. Seats are in pairs of two facing both forward and backward. Other onboard enhancements, include new menu selections developed by Chef Charlie Trotter and fine wine offerings from Master Sommelier and Master of Wine Doug Frost. The modification of the carrier's entire international fleet should be finished in 2009.

If you take your laptop on the plane and tend to spend most of your flight hunched over it, this is good news. Keynamics has introduced the Aviator laptop stand which is specifically designed to balance on your tray table. The stand lets you use your laptop at a comfortable angle and also takes into consideration the inevitable reclined seat in front of you. The Aviator aims to provide comfort for laptop users onboard aircraft, with careful consideration given to the position of the laptop for optimal user comfort and also to accommodate the reclined seat in front as well as turbulence and jostling. The foldable Aviator weighs nine ounces and sells for $19.99.

[via The Moodie Report]