Travellers no longer have to remove their shoes during security screenings at U.S. airports

A traveler removes his shoes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014, in Atlanta. (Kent D. Johnson/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

Travellers racing to catch a flight at U.S. airports no longer are required to remove their shoes during security screenings, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday.

Noem said the end of the ritual put in place almost 20 years ago was effective nationwide effective immediately. She said a pilot program showed the Transportation Security Administration had the equipment needed to keep airports and aircraft safe while allowing people to keep their shoes on.

“TSA will no longer require travelers to remove their shoes when they go through security checkpoints,” Noem said.

While shoe removal no longer is standard procedure, some travelers still may be asked to take off their footwear “if we think additional layers of screening are necessary,” she added.

Security screening sans shoes became a requirement in 2006, several years after “shoe bomber” Richard Reid’s failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001.

All passengers between the ages of 12 and 75 were required to remove their shoes, which were scanned along with carry-on luggage.

The travel newsletter Gate Access was first to report that the security screening change would happen soon.

Travellers previously were able to skirt the requirement if they participated in the TSA PreCheck program, which costs around $80 for five years. The program allows airline passengers to get through the screening process without removing shoes, belts or light jackets, and without having to take their laptops and bagged toiletries out.

The TSA began in 2001 when President George W. Bush signed legislation for its creation two months after the 9/11 attacks. The agency included federal airport screeners that replaced the private companies airlines had used to handle security.

Over the years the TSA has continued to look for ways to enhance its security measures, including testing facial recognition technology and implementing Real ID requirements.

One of the most prominent friction points for travelers is the TSA at screening checkpoints. U.S. President Donald Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked the public in an April social media post what would make travel more seamless.

The following day, Duffy posted on X that, “It’s clear that TSA is the .1 travel complaint. That falls under the Department of Homeland Security. I’ll discuss this with @Sec--Noem.”

Trump fired TSA Administrator David Pekoske in January in the middle of a second five-year term, though he was appointed by Trump during his first term in the White House. Pekoske was reappointed by President Joe Biden.

No reason was given for Pekoske’s departure. The administrator position remains vacant, according to the TSA website.

Michelle Chapman, The Associated Press