Do you dread taking off your shoes when going through airport security?
That requirement is going away at airports in the United States, which means agents for the Transportation Security Administration will allow you to keep your footwear on when you undergo a security screening.
Kristi Noem, secretary of Homeland Security, announced the change Tuesday afternoon.
“We know that when President Trump was elected that he pledged to make life better for all Americans and that includes those who are travelers going through our busy airports,” Noem said.
Noem said it’s important to streamline the process as the U.S. is looking forward to big events such as the Olympics and that World Cup that will bring in “record travelers.”
“Many people will be on airlines traveling in and out of our airports and it’s important we find ways to keep people safe but also streamline and make the process much more enjoyable for every single person,” she said.
The American Federation of Government Employees also confirmed that some airports adopted the new policy Friday ahead of the change being implemented more widely, and agency trainers were working to update TSA officers, the Washington Post reported.
How will security screenings change?
Airplane travelers will still go through multiple layers of screening including identity verification, screening of carry-on luggage and individual screening — all without needing to take their shoes off.
There could be an instance when a TSA agent determines additional screening is needed and travelers will be asked to take their shoes off, Noem said.
Which airports have already instituted the shoes-on policy?
As of Tuesday, the policy had already quietly rolled out at airports that included 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, according to CBS News.
Noem said the new policy would be quickly implemented at airports across the nation.
Every airport has different screening equipment with varying capabilities, but Noem said her federal agency had “evaluated the equipment that every airport has” and was “\fully confident” that with the removal of the no-shoes policy, airports would “still have the security needs in place at every single checkpoint.”
What about LAX?
It’s unclear when Los Angeles International Airport will roll out the new policy. LAX officials referred The Times’ questions about the change to the TSA.
By the way, the TSA’s new shoe-screening policy will only benefit travelers who go through the regular security checkpoint. Travelers who have applied for, enrolled and paid for expedited screening through TSA PreCheck or Clear are already exempt from taking off their shoes during screening.
The practice of having travelers toss their shoes in a bin to be screened was established in 2006 after an incident in December 2001 when, months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a British man boarded a flight with homemade bombs hidden within his shoes.
During an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, Richard Colvin Reid tried to detonate his shoes but struggled to light the fuse, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Crew members and passengers restrained Reid; the flight was diverted to Logan International Airport in Boston, where officers took Reid into custody.
Reid confessed to FBI agents that he made the shoe bombs, which held 10 ounces of explosive material, according to federal officials.
Getting rid of the shoe-removal policy isn’t surprising
In April, TSA announced it was working with the Department of Homeland Security to develop “next generation passenger screening technology,” with a goal of making security screening more efficient, according to the agency.
John Fortune, the Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology directorate, is leading the department’s airport passenger screening research.
His team has developed ways to enhance current technology used in the screening machine that you stand in with your hands above your head, and created sharper X-ray images, according to the federal agency.
The TSA reported that Fortune and his team were currently researching a replacement or retrofit of the existing passenger screening systems, specifically to target shoes.
“How do you implement a shoe scan, or do you put it in with an existing portal system where the person is already standing while screening their shoes at the same time?” he said. “Could it be put in place somewhere else within the checkpoint where it might increase efficiencies? Any real-time screening involves reimagining the checkpoint.”
Homeland Security did not answer The Times’ question regarding Fortune’s work and the announcement of the new policy on shoe removal.
During Tuesday’s announcement, Noem said the federal agency had the ability to implement other security screening technology and would be piloting several different security checkpoints across the nation “that will allow individuals to come in through a security checkpoint and maybe not even have to interact with officers at all, walk through machines, keep their bag with them, not remove laptops.”
She estimated the pilot programs could be explored over the next six to nine months.
