|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TSA Ends
23-Year
Shoe
Removal
Requirement
at
Airport
Security
Checkpoints
Homeland
Security
Secretary
announces
immediate
nationwide
policy
change
improving
travel
experience
Li Haung
-
National-Politics
Tell Us
USA News
Network
WASHINGTON
- The
Transportation
Security
Administration
(TSA)
has
officially
ended
its
longstanding
requirement
for
passengers
to
remove
their
shoes
during
airport
security
screening,
marking
the end
of a
policy
that has
been in
place
for
nearly
two
decades.
Homeland
Security
Secretary
Kristi
Noem
announced
the
policy
change
on
Tuesday,
confirming
that
passengers
at
airports
across
the U.S.
no
longer
have to
remove
their
shoes
during
regular
TSA
security
checks,
with the
change
taking
effect
immediately
for
airports
nationwide.
"TSA
will no
longer
require
travelers
to
remove
their
shoes
when
they go
through
our
security
checkpoints,"
Noem
said.
"We want
to
improve
this
travel
experience,
but
while
maintaining
safety
standards
and
making
sure
that we
are
keeping
people
safe."
The shoe
removal
policy
was
first
implemented
in
December
2001
following
the
failed
"shoe
bomber"
attempt
by
Richard
Reid on
a
transatlantic
flight.
This
marks
the
first
time in
19 years
that
general
passengers
can skip
the
TSA's
footwear
removal
policy.
According
to Noem,
the
change
was made
possible
because
"our
security
technology
has
changed,"
indicating
that
advances
in
screening
equipment
now
allow
TSA
agents
to
detect
potential
threats
without
requiring
passengers
to
remove
their
shoes.
The
policy
change
affects
all
domestic
airports
and
applies
to
travelers
in
regular
security
lanes.
Previously,
only
passengers
enrolled
in TSA
PreCheck
were
allowed
to keep
their
shoes on
during
screening.
Some
sources
indicate
that
enforcement
of shoe
removal
had
already
been
inconsistent
in
recent
months
at
various
airports.
An
unexpected
memo
went out
to TSA
officers
across
the
country
last
week
stating
the new
policy
will
allow
all
passengers
to keep
their
shoes on
in all
screening
lanes at
many
airports
across
the
country,
starting
Sunday.
The
announcement
comes as
part of
broader
efforts
to
streamline
the
airport
security
experience
while
maintaining
safety
standards.
According
to the
official
TSA
press
release,
the new
policy
will
"increase
hospitality"
for
travelers
passing
through
security
checkpoints.
Some
reports
suggest
that the
new rule
may
specifically
affect
travelers
using a
REAL ID,
though
official
confirmation
of this
detail
is still
pending
from TSA
officials.
The
policy
change
is
expected
to
significantly
reduce
wait
times at
security
checkpoints
across
the
country,
as shoe
removal
has been
one of
the most
time-consuming
aspects
of the
screening
process.
For
millions
of
American
travelers,
this
represents
a major
improvement
in the
airport
experience
that has
remained
largely
unchanged
since
the
early
2000s.
The TSA
has not
yet
announced
whether
additional
security
screening
modifications
are
planned
for the
future,
but this
change
signals
the
agency's
commitment
to
leveraging
technological
advances
to
improve
the
travel
experience
while
maintaining
security
standards.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|