In what may be the most welcome change to airport security since the introduction of PreCheck, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has quietly ended the requirement for travelers to remove their shoes at airport checkpoints.
TSA Abolishes Shoe Removal Requirement As Summer Travel Heats Up
I first got wind of this news when my brohter flew home from Newark to Los Angeles last Thursday. Here was the text he sent me:
“Odd. TSA did not reuquire ayone to remove shoes. They were barking at poeple who were removing shoes to leave them on, as if this was obvious after 20 years of forcing everyone to keep them on. Typical TSA.”
24 years to be precise…
(Don’t ask me why he doesn’t have PreCheck…)
I didn’t think too much about it, figuing it may be a test, but it appears far more than a test, with a broader policy now in effect that excludes passegners traveling with REAL ID from the requirement of removing shoes.
At leat this is the claim of one YouTuber who claims to be a fromer TSA agent with several reliable sources who provided him this information:
While we are still waiting for offical confirmation from TSA, I’m confident that this is the case based on my brother’s experince (meaning it went into effect before today) and those of several others who have shared about thier own TSA checkpoint experinces over the last few days.
According to internal memos, the updated rule is a result of both technological advancements and a comprehensive reassessment of threat-level risks. Modern scanning equipment is now capable of detecting potential hazards without requiring passengers to remove their shoes, a perk previously reserved for TSA PreCheck lanes.
The news comes as one US Senator, Mike Lee (R-UT) continutes his crusade to abolish the TSA:
Without compromising security, hopefully this move will reduce wait times and improve the overall traveler experience.
CONCLUSION
TSA’s decision to stop requiring shoe removal is a long-overdue and sensible move. The rule was never implemented internationally, and the US has looked out of step for years. More importanlty, the rule was nver impliemneted intentionally, with the policy driven by fear rather than any rationle repsone commensurate with the threat. This change will speed up screening and reduce traveler frustration with zero cost to security.
Let’s hope this is the beginning of a larger trend. Next up: removing the liquid rule (sadly, the TSA has said that rule will remain in effect until 2040).
image: TSA
the liquid rule
you mean the enrich the airport vendors rule
That is the practical effect, though I think it was driven more by fear and paranoia than by wanting to enrich thse vendors.
I wish instead of banning aluminimum, a “progressive” airport like SFO ahd limited airport pricing such that water and other essentials had to match street pricing.
Never forget Richard Reid!
But hopefully technology has advanced enough that someone with unscrupulous materials in their shoes would still be found.
It is always about money. Removing shoes was not generating any extra cash to vendors and just slowing down the screening process. The liquid ban generates a lot of money to a few that own the concessions at the airports so they will keep lobbying to ban liquids forever.
“Liquid ban” and “removing shoes” never harmed anyone .
It was never about money for vendors .
It harms passenger’s pockets. Not being able to bring your own drink usually forces people to buy overpriced drinks after TSA. There wouldn’t be lines at Starbucks if passengers could bring their own coffee through security. Bottle of water for $5? I fly through AMS a lot and you can bring your liquids through security without any issues.
All correct . Yet , the purpose was “security” , and not money for vendors , which is merely an unforeseen corollary consequence . Vendors pay exorbitant rent , we know .
Anyway , I prefer my gin and tonics , or Brazilian wine , air-side ; whist listening to Jobin’s music .
That sounds like EWR’s TSA alright.
“TSA’s decision to stop requiring shoe removal is a long-overdue and sensible move. The rule was never implemented internationally”
It was in a few countries for a while…
I don’t recall ALL pax having to remove shoes. The most ridiculous effort, though, was at Barbados airport, when my partner was forced to remove his flip-flops for X ray purposes!
In some countries all pax did have to remove shoes.
Speaking of this rule not existing internationally… if anyone’s wondering “why is TSA getting rid of this now?”, here’s a possible hint: One Stop Security. TSA is planning to recognize certain overseas airports (starting with Heathrow) as providing equally effective security, so passengers coming from those airports to the US and connecting to another flight won’t have to go through security again.
Somewhere along the way, someone high up enough at TSA probably asked themselves “Hey, why are we doing this? Does it really improve security?”
How many typos in one post??
They will do what they want and we’ll we won’t know when, why or how.
They just increased the sensitivity of the metal detectors so many shoes need to come off, like Birkenstocks.
BTW, I have noticed that although the 3.4oz rule might still being employed, the quarter size bag is definitely not. I have seen passengers have huge plastic bags or several small ones go through security and nobody says anything. Note that passengers may use several trays and the trays go into the x-Ray machine one following the other and unless you are called for a secondary check nobody knows which tray belongs to whom so same passenger may have two or three quarter size bags placed in different trays. It is just a big theater.
Good. Now abolish the TSA and get some decent security.
SFO is private and they are bad.
This reduces the value of Global Entry!!! NOOOOOO! Give us something to compensate! GImme gimme gimme.
I’ve chuckled for years about the liquid rule: What’s to stop smurfing liquids into multiple 100ml containers and then combining them post security? Baby formula and milk is allowed because, well, babies, but coffee or an open Diet Coke is somehow still a security hazard because adults drink it?
The shoe rule was similar security Kabuki theater: Shoes for the disabled didn’t apply.
The secondary purpose of these actual scenarios was successful: They inconvenienced billions of travelers for more than 2 decades.
Unfortunately, the stupid shoe removal theatre isn’t exclusive to the USA- it remains alive and well in lots of places around the world. Even if I am travelling less than usual this year as a result of wrapping some studies up, I’ve already been asked to take my shoes off on 3-4 occasions (most recently at BHX and EZE).
While the shoe show might be changing, the bottled water cartel is probably doubling down on its grip. How they determined 2040 for liquids I cannot recall, but I hope that ridiculousness will now get some attention.