Keep your shoes on at IND: TSA ends shoe removal policy at airports nationwide
Beginning immediately, passengers at airports across the country will not have to take off their shoes at Transportation of Security Administration screening checkpoints. Ending the decades-long airport requirement will lead to faster security lines with less hassle, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said July 8.
The new rule — a privilege that TSA Pre-Check and Global Entry members already enjoy — does not mean passengers won't at times be pulled for additional screening, where they will still be required to take off their shoes for security, Noem said.
For instance, passengers that do not have a government-required REAL ID to fly will not explicitly be excluded from the no-shoes-off policy but they will undergo additional screening.
Noem said the Department of Homeland Security looked through all of its security procedures to find ways to streamline the screening process and improve the travel experience while keeping people safe. Advanced technology paved the way to forego shoe removal, which she said is not as effective of a tool as it once was.
'Everything the TSA does and requires of travelers has always been necessary, but they have advanced over the years,' Noem said. 'We have made advancements in how we screen individuals.'
53 routes, 10 million passengers: How the IND airport hits records, captures the hearts of travelers
Travelers were first required to take off their shoes in 2006 after a failed bomb attempt five years earlier where a man concealed a bomb in his shoe. The bomb failed to detonate on the flight and passengers and crew held him down until the plane landed safely.
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