The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new TSA screening policy that allows passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screenings. The policy reversal comes after nearly 20 years of passengers being required to remove their shoes, and it’s a change DHS hopes will streamline the TSA security process.
TSA line times vary across airports, with some taking as few as 15 minutes, while peak travel times at busy airports can take 30 minutes or longer.
TSA will still employ a “layered security approach” at security checkpoints that reportedly made taking shoes off an obsolete policy. However, many security experts also point to the ineffectiveness (and possible harm) of many of TSA’s rules as possible reasons for the reversal. There has not been a single reported shoe-bombing attempt since the policy was implemented in 2006, and public health officials note that taking shoes off in a public place could spread foot-related diseases, adding even more reasons for the policy to get the ax.
More Changes to Come?
Many travelers have long been able to skip the shoes-off requirement by signing up for the TSA PreCheck program, which allowed frequent passengers to skip some of the more tedious steps of the security process, such as keeping on shoes, belts and jackets along with keeping laptops and toiletries inside their bags.
The reversal of the shoes-off policy could signal the end of other annoying TSA rituals, such as liquid and electronics rules. According to the Associated Press, the TSA is planning to review other security rules and procedures to attempt to expedite the security process, such as separate security lanes for military personnel and families with young children.
