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.
The Transportation Security Administration announced Tuesday it will abandon the additional security step that has for years bedeviled anyone passing through U.S airports.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the change was expected to speed up screenings at security checkpoints, without compromising security.
"As always, security remains our top priority," Noem said in a statement on Tuesday. "Thanks to our cutting-edge technological advancements and multi-layered security approach, we are confident we can implement this change while maintaining the highest security standards."
The change 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.
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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 did not have to remove shoes at security checkpoints.
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.
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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.”
