TSA tests security lines allowing passengers to keep their shoes on

Travellers at some airports no longer need to remove shoes, reversing a rule from 2006. Photo / Getty Images

Travellers passing through security in some US airports will no longer have to remove their shoes, reversing a rule that has been in effect since 2006.

Joe Shuker, an official in the Transportation Security Administration officers union, said the agency stopped requiring passengers to remove shoes at some airports on Friday before rolling out the change more widely this week. Agency trainers were working to update officers, said Shuker, a vice-president in the American Federation of Government Employees Council 100.

The TSA is planning to roll out the change in policy nationwide by the end of the week, according to a person briefed on the plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss them publicly. There will still be the potential for randomised screening of shoes, but most passengers will no longer have to remove their footwear, the person said.

Multiple people who flew on Monday reported on social media that they saw new procedures at checkpoints. Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a TikTok creator who writes the travel newsletter Gate Access, first reported news of the change on Friday. Harmon-Marshall says he is a former TSA officer.

TSA officials would not confirm reports on Monday that the agency was ending the requirement. A statement that TSA provided to the Washington Post on Monday said it is “always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture”.

The Department of Homeland Security scheduled a news conference for 5pm on Tuesday, when it said Secretary Kristi L. Noem will announce “a new policy from the Transportation Security Administration that will make screening easier for passengers, improve traveller satisfaction, and reduce wait times”.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to celebrate the change on social media, writing in a post on X that it was “big news”.

The mandate to remove shoes stems from a 2001 incident involving American Airlines passenger Richard Reid, who attempted to detonate homemade bombs hidden in his shoes on a flight from Paris to Miami. The plane diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where authorities arrested the “shoe bomber”. The event took place three months after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The checkpoint experience is not uniform. Because of TSA’s multi-layered approach to security, screenings can vary by airport, by checkpoint or by passenger.

The change in screening shoes will benefit travellers who use the regular security checkpoint. It will not affect travellers already exempt from the rule, such as TSA PreCheck members, Clear customers, minors ages 12 and younger and seniors at least 75 years old. In November, TSA told The Post that 41 million people, or 30% of fliers, were PreCheck members.

On social media, travellers questioned why they had shelled out for TSA PreCheck when one of the big benefits – going through security with shoes on – was expanding to the masses. The expedited security programme costs as much as US$85 and lets travellers use a dedicated lane.

“What’s the point of my precheck now?” one person asked. It “feels like a scam now,” someone else wrote.

“TSA Precheck gotta start giving out Pellegrino,” another suggested.

To bulk up aviation safety, TSA has enacted a number of restrictions and protocols. Several are still in place, such as the 3-1-1 rule on carry-on liquids, gels and aerosols (no more than 3.4 ounces are permitted in one quart-size baggie). Fliers must also remove their outer coats and belts. However, over the years, the agency has loosened some regulations made obsolete by technological advances.

One of the most heralded developments is a CT scanner that allows standard passengers to keep their electronics and liquids inside their carry-on luggage. In September 2023, the agency said it was operating more than 770 scanners at 230-plus airports nationwide. The technology, often employed by medical practitioners, creates a 3D image that security officers can closely inspect on a monitor, zooming in and out and studying it from various angles. This helps reduce the number of carry-on bags the officers must pull from the conveyor belt and manually search, speeding up the process.

In its quest to modernise and streamline security, TSA has also touted such innovations as automated screening lanes, biometrics to verify a passenger’s identity and credential authentication technology (CAT). With CAT, passengers insert their ID into a machine, which will confirm their identity and flight information. They do not need to show or scan their boarding pass.

At Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International Airport, qualified passengers can try cutting-edge equipment at TSA’s Innovation Checkpoint. The agency started testing a self-service screening system in 2024.