'Keep your shoes on': U.S. airport security ends unpopular security measure
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is easing off the policy requiring travellers to take their shoes off for separate scanning while going through the airport security.
Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (which oversees the TSA) made a formal announcement about the move during a press conference at Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington on Tuesday evening .
She said that as of today, the TSA will “no longer require…every single person” to remove their shoes when going through security checkpoints. She said this is an “immediate nationwide rollout” of passengers being able to keep their shoes on.
The aim of this policy shift, said Noem, is “to improve the travel experience” while continuing to “keep travellers safe.” She referred to several comments the administration has received expressing displeasure over the “no-shoes” policy. And listed several marquee events that the U.S. will soon be hosting, as reasons for doing so, including the Olympics in Los Angeles, World Cup soccer matches, and events geared toward celebrating the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
Has airport security technology improved?
Noem says security technology has evolved significantly since the shoes-off policy was implemented almost 20 years ago. She said the TSA has “evaluated the technology at every airport … It’s been honed and it’s been hardened.”
She expressed confidence in the multi-layer security now in place, which involves different types of screening individuals, including the relatively new “Real ID,” which encompasses any type of federally recognized identification. Meanwhile, she says the department is looking at even more advanced technology, for example, machines that would result in not having to interact with airport security officers.
Meanwhile, it should be noted that any passenger who triggers the alarm in the scanner or magnetometer, will still be required by the TSA to take their shoes off for additional screening.
What U.S. airports are affected?
So far, reports airwaysmag.com , the changes have been noticed in Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG), Portland (PDX), Philadelphia (PHL), and Piedmont Triad (GSO) in North Carolina. It says passengers at Los Angeles (LAX) and New York’s LaGuardia (LGA) have also shared stories about being waved through while keeping their shoes on.
Will this happen in Canada?
National Post reached out to Transport Canada, the government arm responsible for establishing regulations regarding security screening procedures for flights originating in Canada. The question was put whether a similar move is contemplated for Canadian airports. A response has not yet been received.
Why were travellers required to remove their shoes in the first place?
The TSA established this unpopular requirement in 2006. It came into effect shortly after terrorist, Richard Reid, subsequently known as the “shoe bomber” tried to detonate a liquid explosive in his shoe while aboard an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami.
“As luck would have it, he encountered technical issues and was unable to carry out the attack,” states a report by the International Institute for International Terrorism .
After that taking off your shoes at security became just another part of flying. “While most people never liked it, they grew accustomed to it,” writes airwaysmag.com .
Some American travellers were already able to keep their shoes on. They had to go through a background check and pay an US$80 fee to belong to the TSA’s Trusted Traveler PreCheck program. Noem says many fliers will still want to retain their membership in the program for the continued ease it provides in checking through security.
The new shift in boarding protocol was first reported by a travel blog, Gate Access . The blog stated that a memo went out to TSA officers across the country last week, setting out the change for all passengers in all screening lanes at many airports across the country.
Earlier Tuesday, several media outlets such as the New York Times reported on the move as it unfolded in airports across America, citing unnamed sources. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to the reports on X, calling it “big news” from the TSA/Department of Homeland Security.
Big news from @DHSgov! ✈️???? https://t.co/GJjd2UQMki
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) July 8, 2025
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