Goodbye to taking off your shoes at the airport: why the TSA is ending the 20-year-old security rule

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will no longer require passengers to remove their shoes before going through the security line at airports in the United States, almost 20 years after the policy was introduced.

The security measure, which was first deployed in 2006, will be phased out, according to an internal memo issued to unsuspecting TSA officers. However, it is believed travelers will be able to keep their shoes on in all screening lanes in many airports across the U.S.

The reason you can now take your shoes off at the airport

TSA public affairs have suggested the change in policy is down to improvements in technology which help identify security threats related to passengers. “TSA and the Department of Homeland Security are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture. Any potential updates to our security process will be issued through official channels.”

When will the new airport policy come into effect?

According to ABC News, the new policy is officially expected to come into force on Sunday (July 13), although CNN affiliate WLS reported that passengers departing from Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, New York on Monday (July 7) were not asked to remove their shoes before going through security.

The reason you had to take off your shoes at the airport

Three months after 9/11, Richard Reid, christened the “shoe bomber,” attempted to use a match to detonate explosives hidden in his sneakers on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. Passengers and crew were able to restrain him and he was arrested in Boston, before being sentenced to life in prison in January 2003.

However, it took five years for the shoe removal policy to come into force after it was identified as a “continuing threat,” along with the detonation of liquid explosives.

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