Travellers no longer have to remove shoes for U.S. airport security checks

Air travellers racing to catch a flight at U.S. airports are no longer required to remove their shoes during security screenings, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday.

Noem said the end of the measure put in place almost 20 years ago was effective nationwide immediately. She said a pilot program showed the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had the equipment needed to keep airports and aircraft safe while allowing people to keep their shoes on.

"I think most Americans will be very excited to see they will be able to keep their shoes on, and it will be a much more streamlined process," Noem said.

While shoe removal is no longer standard procedure, some travellers still may be asked to take off their footwear "if we think additional layers of screening are necessary," she said.

The travel newsletter Gate Access was first to report that the security screening change was coming.

Security screening sans shoes became a requirement in 2006, several years after "shoe bomber" Richard Reid's failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001.

All passengers between the ages of 12 and 75 were required to remove their shoes, which were scanned along with carry-on bags and other separated items such as outerwear.

Travellers were previously able to skirt the extra security requirement if they participated in the TSA PreCheck program, which costs around $80 US for five years. The program allows airline passengers to get through the screening process without removing shoes, belts or light jackets, and without having to take their laptops and bagged toiletries out of their carryon luggage.

PreCheck will remain the easier option for the time being, since people going through regular screening stations will still have to place other items on a conveyor belt for scanning, Noem said.

The TSA plans to review other rules and procedures to see how airport screenings can be simplified and expedited, she said. The agency is testing separate lanes for military personnel and families with young children, and expects to pilot other changes in the next six to eight months, according to Noem.

The TSA was created in 2001 by then-U.S. president George W. Bush, two months after the 9/11 attacks. The agency included federal airport screeners that replaced the private companies airlines had used to handle security.

Although regular air travellers are familiar with the intricacies of going through airport security, long lines during busy times and bags getting pulled aside for infractions such as forgotten water bottles can make the process fraught.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked the public in an April social media post what would make travel more seamless. The following day, Duffy posted on X that, "It's clear that TSA is the #1 travel complaint. That falls under the Department of Homeland Security. I'll discuss this with @Sec_Noem."