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Japan Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Get ready to pass through U.S. airport security checkpoints with your shoes on your feet
By MICHELLE CHAPMAN For the first time in almost 20 years, travelers will no longer be required to take off their shoes during security screenings at U.S. airports. Transportation Security Administration Secretary Kristi Noem announced the change to a security step that has for years bedeviled anyone passing through U.S airports. 'TSA will no longer require travelers to remove their shoes when they go through security checkpoints,' Noem said at a press conference Tuesday. It puts an end to a security screening mandate put in place almost 20 years ago, several years after 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid's failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001. The travel newsletter Gate Access was first to report that the security screening change is coming. ABC News reported on an internal memo sent to TSA officers last week that states the new policy allows travelers to keep their shoes on during standard screenings at many U.S. airports, beginning Sunday. That would expand to all airports shortly. The plan is for the change to occur at all U.S. airports soon, the memo said. Travelers have previously 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. All passengers between the ages of 12 and 75 are required to remove their shoes, which are scanned along with carry on luggage. 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.' 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. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
CBC
5 days ago
- CBC
TSA to stop asking people to remove shoes for security screenings at U.S. airports: reports
For the first time in almost 20 years, air travellers may no longer be required to take off their shoes during security screenings at U.S. airports. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is looking to abandon the additional security step that has for years bedevilled anyone passing through U.S airports, according to media reports. If implemented, it would put an end to a security screening mandate put in place almost 20 years ago, several years after "shoe bomber" Richard Reid's failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001. The travel newsletter Gate Access was first to report that the security screening change was coming. ABC News reported on an internal memo sent to TSA officers last week stating the new policy allows travellers to keep their shoes on during standard screenings at many U.S. airports, beginning Sunday. That would expand to all airports shortly. The plan is for the change to occur at all U.S. airports soon, the memo said. Travellers have previously been able to skirt the extra security requirement if they participate in the TSA PreCheck program, which costs around $80 US for five years. The program allows airline passengers to get through the screening process without removing shoes, belts or light jackets. All passengers between the ages of 12 and 75 are required to remove their shoes, which are scanned along with carryon luggage. 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." The TSA began in 2001 when then-U.S. 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.
The Verge
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Verge
TSA to finally end its dumb shoe removal policy for airport security
A key pillar of post-9/11 airport security theater may finally be going away. Multiple outlets are reporting that the Transportation Security Administration will start allowing passengers at a few select airports to keep their shoes on while going through security checkpoints. No longer will we have to gaze upon our fellow travelers' weird socks or — god forbid — bare feet while waiting in a security line. The plan is to starting rolling out the new policy at a few airports starting this weekend. Previously only passengers with TSA Pre-Check were able to keep their shoes on in most cases. And of course the ultra wealthy who can afford to fly private can often avoid TSA screening — and shoe removal — altogether. The TSA said in a memo that it had explored 'new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience,' according to Gate Access, which was the first to report the news. A TSA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The plan is to starting rolling out the new policy at a few airports starting this weekend. The TSA has required most travelers to remove their shoes since 2006, five years after failed shoe bomber Richard Reid tried to ignite 10-ounces of explosives in his shoes on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. The agency said that despite the failed attempt, intelligence suggested that others may attempt a copycat bombing — and thus we've all been forced to endure the humiliation of walking across cold airport floors in just our socks ever since. The outlets reporting the imminent removal of the shoe removal policy make no mention about other annoying security theater elements, such as belt removal or the prohibition of liquids in containers larger than 3.4 ounces. Security theater is the practice of implementing measures designed to give the appearance of making things safer, despite doing very little to achieve that. Shoe removal has long been viewed as an utterly useless security measure that does nothing to make us safer but has nonetheless has remained in place for years. 'It's like saying, Last time the terrorists wore red shirts, so now we're going to ban red shirts,' Bruce Schneier, a cryptographer, computer security professional, and privacy specialist, told Vanity Fair in 2011. 'Focusing on specific threats like shoe bombs or snow-globe bombs simply induces the bad guys to do something else. You end up spending a lot on the screening and you haven't reduced the total threat.' Please read the TSA's full humiliating history by Darryl Campbell to learn more.
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Boston Globe
Travelers may no longer be required to remove shoes before boarding a plane
The travel newsletter Gate Access was first to report that the security screening change is coming. ABC News reported on an internal memo sent to TSA officers last week that states the new policy allows travelers keep their shoes on during standard screenings at US airports, beginning this Sunday. Advertisement The plan is for the change to occur at all US airports soon, the memo said. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 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.' Advertisement 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.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Travelers may no longer be required to remove shoes before boarding a plane
For the first time in almost 20 years, travelers may no longer be required to take off their shoes during security screenings at certain U.S. airports. The Transportation Security Administration is looking to abandon the additional security step that has for years bedeviled anyone passing through U.S airports, according to media reports. If implemented, it would put an end to a security screening mandate put in place almost 20 years ago, several years after 'shoe bomber' Richard Reid's failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001. The travel newsletter Gate Access was first to report that the security screening change is coming. ABC News reported on an internal memo sent to TSA officers last week that states the new policy lets travelers keep their shoes on during screenings at many U.S. airports beginning this Sunday. The plan is for the change to occur at all U.S. airports soon, the memo said. Travelers were able to skirt extra security requirement if they were part of 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. 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 on Tuesday. 'Any potential updates to our security process will be issued through official channels.' 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.
