You Can Finally Keep Your Shoes On At TSA Checkpoints
A traveler takes their shoes off at the John F. Kennedy airport in NYC.
After nearly two decades, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) is already dropping one of its most hated airport rules: removing your shoes at security.
The TSA has yet to announce the move formally, but stated in a Monday press release that it is “exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture.”
The new shoes-on initiative is only at selected airports for now, but sources say the rules could be relaxed nationwide soon.
Among the first airports to drop the shoes-off requirement: Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Cincinnati, Portland, Philadelphia and Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina.
Remember The Shoe Bomber?
We’ve had to take our shoes off at airport security checkpoints since 2006 after the so-called “Shoe Bomber” Richard Reid tried and failed to ignite homemade explosives in his shoes. That incident took place on a December 2001 American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami.
According to the FBI, Reid’s shoe contained about 10 ounces of explosive material and his plan was foiled when he struggled to light a fuse attached to his shoes. He was subdued by fellow passengers and the crew and taken into custody when the plane diverted to Boston.
He pleaded guilty to terrorism charges and is currently serving a life sentence at a Supermax prison in Colorado.
If we can all leave our shoes on at security soon, PreCheck’ers will have one less thing to brag about. They will also have one less reason to renew and pay for the program.
