Carrier will also test paperless boarding passes at LGA

Delta Air Lines has announced two new initiatives for business travelers, including a partnership agreement with Verified Identity Pass’s “Clear” Registered Traveler program; and plans to initiate paperless boarding passes at New York LaGuardia.

The airline said its partnership with Clear will provide for the deployment of fast-track security clearance lanes starting this summer in Delta terminals at New York LaGuardia, New York Kennedy and Los Angeles International airports. Membership in the programs of Clear or other Registered Traveler program vendors permits use of fast security lanes at any airport terminal where they are offered. The cost is $100 a year, plus a $28 fee for a Transportation Security Administration background check. Members get a biometric ID that provides access to the special lanes. Clear has set up a special web site offering preliminary enrollment procedures for Delta flyers, at www.flyclear.com/delta; the process must be completed at a Clear enrollment center, where biometric data is captured. Enrollment centers are also being opened in Delta’s Crown Rooms at Atlanta Hartsfield.

Meanwhile, Delta has become the latest carrier to offer paperless check-in via mobile devices, a new procedure that is also in use by Continental and Northwest at a few airports. Customers can request a bar-coded boarding message to be sent to their smart phone, BlackBerry or other Web-enabled device; it is displayed on the device’s screen and scanned at the airport. The Delta program is good for domestic flights out of the Delta terminal at LaGuardia. Future enhancements, Delta said, will include “standby upgrades and same-day, roundtrip check-in on delta.com, mobile and SMS check-in.”