Soon, you might not have to take your shoes off at the airport. At several major airports across the United States, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will allow passengers to cross through all security screening lanes without taking off their shoes, according to reporting from CBS News and The New York Times.
Updates regarding the end of the shoes-off policy were first reported by the Gate Access Substack on July 4, but has not yet been officially confirmed by the TSA. However, reports suggest that the change appears to be a phased approach that will eventually roll out to all US airports. Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Portland International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, and Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina, are expected to be among the first hubs to enact the change, two sources close to the matter shared with CBS. Various news sources have also confirmed that recent passengers at other airports not included on the list such as Los Angeles International Airport and New York City‘s LaGuardia Airport did not have to take off their shoes to pass through security in recent days.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the news on X, writing that the retirement of the shoe removal policy nearly 20 years after its implementation was “big news” from the Department of Homeland Security.
The requirement for removing shoes originated in 2001, after Richard Reid, who later became known as the “shoe bomber,” attempted to ignite explosives hidden in his shoes on a flight from Paris to Miami. The security measure was implemented five years later in 2006 due to “intelligence pointing to a continuing threat” according to an official webpage on TSA history.
As the shoe removal policy phases out, standard passengers will join travellers registered with TSA PreCheck who have long been able to keep their footwear on as they pass through security. In order to have PreCheck, applicants must submit an application which has an associated fee and undergo a background check. With security wait times often posing a major obstacle for time pressed travellers, the policy change may expedite standard security screenings—and the TSA’s, ‘shoes on, no service’ rule may be another airport procedure of the past.
Condé Nast Traveler has reached out to TSA for comment. This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.
First published on CNT US
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