In a major shift to the air travel experience, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will no longer require passengers to remove their shoes at security checkpoints, ending a policy that has been in place for nearly two decades.
The change was announced by the Department of Homeland Security, which stated, “TSA will no longer require travelers to remove their shoes when they go through our security checkpoints. We want to improve the travel experience, while maintaining safety standards and making sure that we are keeping people safe.”
While passengers will still undergo multiple layers of screening, including identity verification and advanced imaging technology, the removal of the shoe requirement is part of a broader effort to modernize and streamline airport security.
The shoe removal policy was first implemented in the early 2000s following the attempted shoe bombing by Richard Reid in 2001. Since then, it has been a widely accepted — if unpopular — part of flying in the U.S.
The TSA says security will not be compromised, and new technology and screening protocols allow for effective detection of threats without requiring shoes to be taken off.
