Texas: In a landmark shift to airport security procedures, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has officially retired one of its most criticized and burdensome rules: the mandatory removal of shoes during screening. Starting today, all travelers at U.S. airports regardless of PreCheck status can now keep their shoes on during security checks.
This major policy overhaul marks the most significant change in TSA's screening protocols in over two decades, bringing long-awaited relief to millions of passengers. The shoe removal rule, once a defining feature of post-9/11 travel, is now history.
The revised protocol will be implemented nationwide across all airports starting Monday, July 7. The only travelers still subject to different procedures are those unable to produce REAL ID-compliant identification, TSA officials clarified.
The decision was announced over the weekend by a former TSA administrator and shared via the travel platform "Travel with the Harmony," igniting a wave of positive reactions from frequent flyers and industry experts.
The original policy was introduced in the aftermath of the 2001 attempted shoe bombing by Richard Reid, who tried to ignite explosives hidden in his footwear aboard a transatlantic flight. Since then, every traveler young, old, or even infirm was required to remove their shoes before passing through security scanners. The rule remained unchanged for more than twenty years, despite growing technological advancements and changing threat assessments.
Now, TSA says the rule has outlived its relevance. Modern scanning technologies deployed at most major U.S. airports have rendered the old protocol unnecessary. "There have been no credible threats involving footwear in recent years, and new systems are fully capable of detecting anomalies without passengers needing to remove their shoes," officials noted.
For travelers, the change means less hassle, shorter lines, and fewer delays especially for parents managing children, those with mobility issues, or last-minute passengers sprinting to their gates. No more fumbling with laces, walking barefoot on public floors, or balancing on one foot to put shoes back on.
Beyond convenience, this shift is seen as a symbolic step in the TSA's effort to modernize and humanize the travel experience. It reflects a growing commitment to streamlining airport operations without sacrificing safety.
Experts say this change signals a broader openness within the TSA to reevaluate long-standing procedures in light of public sentiment, evolving threats, and cutting-edge technology. With this move, air travel in the U.S. takes a long-awaited step forward toward both comfort and common sense.