Latest news with #shoespolicy
CNA
09-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
US scraps shoe removal at airport screening
WASHINGTON: Passengers at United States airports will no longer have to remove their shoes to pass through security under a new policy unveiled on Tuesday (Jul 8), 20 years after the requirement was introduced. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the change to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules at a news conference at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport. Passengers at US airports have been required to take off their shoes during screenings since 2006, five years after the arrest of "Shoe Bomber" Richard Reid, who had explosives hidden in his footwear onboard. "In those 20 years since that policy was put in place, our security technology has changed dramatically. It's evolved. TSA has changed. We have a multi-layered whole-of-government approach now to security," Noem said. "We are very confident that we can continue to provide hospitality to folks and for American travellers and for those visiting our country, while maintaining the same standard of security for passengers and for our homeland," she added. Reid, a member of Al-Qaeda, was overpowered by other passengers as he tried to light a fuse on his shoes on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001. Reid pleaded guilty to terrorism and other charges and is serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado. TSA said in a statement on the shoe policy change that other security measures will remain in place. "Other aspects of TSA's layered security approach will still apply during the TSA checkpoint process. For example, passengers subject must still clear identity verification, Secure Flight vetting, and other processes," it said. Past attacks, both successful and thwarted, have led to a raft of new airport security measures in recent decades, especially following the Sep 11, 2001, attacks, in which hijackers flew passenger jets into the Twin Towers in New York as well as the Pentagon. In 2006, British authorities announced they had foiled a terror plot that aimed to blow up several planes in mid-air simultaneously with liquid explosives. Since then, tough restrictions have applied to liquids and gels, such as toothpaste.
Fast Company
08-07-2025
- Fast Company
TSA shoe removal policy may finally change. Why did we have to remove our footwear at airports anyway?
Fliers may have been annoyed earlier this year with the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) implementation of the new Real ID requirements, but they'll likely be much happier with the agency's latest reported rules change: Passengers will be able to keep their shoes on when going through security at U.S. airports. Here's what you need to know about the updated TSA shoes rules. What's happened? Citing government sources, multiple media outlets are reporting that the TSA has nixed the requirement that passengers going through airport security must take off their shoes. The nixing of the policy comes nearly 20 years after it was first implemented in 2006. Gate Access, a Substack dedicated to travel stories, was the first to reveal the shoe policy changes back on July 4. And while Transportation Security Administration officials have not publicly confirmed the change, nor has the agency released any public memos about the change, multiple government officials have told outlets, including ABC News and NBC News, that the new policy is being rolled out. Additionally, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt seemed to confirm the news by reposting a tweet by CBS News senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs about the changes. Leavitt commented, 'Big news from @DHSgov' with the retweet. Fast Company has reached out to the TSA for comment. What is the new TSA shoes policy, exactly? The exact new TSA shoe policy is not known at this time because the agency has not posted any public information about it. But on Monday, the agency did issue a press release stating that it was 'exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture.' However, NBC News reports that a senior government official has confirmed that passengers at select airports will now be able to leave their shoes on when going through security checkpoints. Baltimore/Washington International Airport Fort Lauderdale International Airport Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Portland International Airport Philadelphia International Airport Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina But CBS News also confirmed that some passengers at the following airports were not being required to remove their shoes when going through security: Los Angeles International Airport New York City's LaGuardia Airport Why was the shoe removal policy in place? Many people mistakenly assume that the shoe removal policy was put in place because of the 9/11 attacks in 2001. However, the shoe removal rules came after a man tried to blow up a plane using a shoe bomb in December of that year. In fact, the policy was not implemented by the TSA until 2006. As noted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Richard Reid attempted to light explosives contained in his shoes on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. He was restrained by passengers and the flight crew on board the flight. The FBI said that had the bomb detonated, it would have blown a hole in the plane's fuselage, causing it to crash.
