Travelers will wait at the long security line at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
Allen J. Shaven | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
The Transportation Security Bureau plans to put many travelers on shoes at U.S. airport checkpoints and end the rules that were about 20 years old, according to those familiar with the issue.
People said the TSA explained Tuesday’s changes to industry members.
Most passengers have had to remove their shoes at security checkpoints at US airports since 2006. The TSA at the time said it had placed requirements for shoe removal or explosive screening because it “refers to a continuous threat.”
It came after Richard Reid, who became known as the “shoe bomber,” tried to set fire to a shoe explosive on a flight from Miami to Miami in December 2001, failed.
Travelers who are registered with TSA’s Precheck program can already leave their shoes on and keep their laptops and similar electronics in their bags as they pass airport checkpoints.
Air travelers will bin their shoes before passing the Traffic Security Agency (TSA) security checks at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) held in Los Angeles, California on February 20, 2014.
Robin Beck | AFP | Getty Images
The agency declined to comment on the change, saying the Department of IT and Homeland Security is “always looking for new and innovative ways to enhance passenger experience and strong security attitudes. Potential updates to the security process will be issued through official channels.”
The news was previously reported by Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA officer who wrote Gate Access Newsletter.
