Travelers no longer have to remove their shoes during security screenings at US airports

July 8, 2025

WXXV Staff,

Tsa — In this Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007, file photo, a belt and shoes sit in a trays with advertising that is being used in the safety screening of travelers done by the Transportation Security Administration, at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ann Johansson, File)

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By MICHELLE CHAPMAN
AP Business Writer

For the first time in almost 20 years, travelers will no longer have to take off their shoes during security screenings at certain U.S. airports.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the new nationwide policy on Tuesday, effective immediately.

It puts an end to a security screening mandate put in place almost 20 years ago, several years after “shoe bomber” Richard Reid’s attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001.

Noem says a pilot program showed the Transportation Security Administration had the equipment needed to keep airports and aircraft safe while allowing people to keep their shoes on.