Travelers may no longer be required to remove shoes before boarding a plane
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The plan is for the change to occur at all US airports soon, the memo said.
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Travelers have been able to skirt the extra security requirement if they participate 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.
Travelers who are 75 years old or older and those 12 or younger do not have to remove shoes at security checkpoints.
The TSA has not officially confirmed the reported security screening change yet.
'TSA and DHS are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance passenger experience and our strong security posture,' a TSA spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. 'Any potential updates to our security process will be issued through official channels.'
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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. 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 very clear that TSA is the #1 travel complaint. That falls under the Department of Homeland Security. I'll discuss this with @Sec_Noem,' Duffy wrote in a post on X the following day.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will host a press conference Tuesday evening at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to announce a new TSA policy 'that will make screening easier for passengers, improve traveler satisfaction, and reduce wait times,' her agency said.
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.
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Tampa International Airport's Response To The Shoe Removal Policy Is Going Viral
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USA Today
3 hours ago
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Shoes on, pockets empty: What has and hasn't changed at TSA checkpoints
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Boston Globe
4 hours ago
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The long wait is over. You can leave your shoes on while passing through security.
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Noem said the elimination of the shoe removal policy doesn't mean the end of TSA PreCheck. Advertisement 'I believe PreCheck will still be something that many travelers will want to utilize, because when they have TSA PreCheck, they won't have to take off their belt or their coat or remove things out of their bag, such as laptops or compliant liquids,' Noem said. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that other aspects of the TSA's security process would remain unchanged for most other travelers. That means the TSA's unpopular Advertisement There were promising signs in recent years that the 3-1-1 rule may be phased out. In the UK, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed in 2019 that the rule would be eased at major UK airports by 2022. Rishi Sunak's government then extended that deadline to June 1, 2024. The TSA began using Analogic Computed Tomography (CT) scanners in Logan's Terminal E in winter 2024. Christopher Muther/Globe Staff Getting rid of England's 3-1-1 rule depended on airports adopting advanced 3D scanners, called Computed Tomography (CT) units, that can easily determine the difference between liquids. These are similar to medical scanners, which analyze the molecular structure of the contents of a passenger's bag and detect potential threats. The scanners are currently used in several US airports, including international departures in Logan's Terminal E. The original plan required all major UK airports to have the new scanners in place by June 2024, which would allow the elimination of 3-1-1. However, several hubs missed the deadline, prompting the country's Department for Transport (England's version of the Department of Transportation) to extend the rollout to July 2025. So far, only In the United States, there has been little discussion of removing 3-1-1. Last year, Advertisement So it appears that we'll have 15 more years of putting travel-sized bottles in clear plastic bags. Both the liquids rule and the shoe rule came from post-9/11 Al Qaeda plots to bring down planes. On Dec. 22, 2001, Richard Reid boarded American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami Reid, better known as the Shoe Bomber, was sentenced to three life terms plus 110 years in prison without parole. While his name slipped out of the headlines 20 years ago, the shoe rule remained an ever-present part of flying. Christopher Muther can be reached at
