TSA to let air travelers keep their shoes on
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The change was first reported by Gate Access, a travel newsletter written by Caleb Harmon-Marshall, who says he is a former TSA officer. He added that he had seen a soft launch of the new policy at an airport as well as an internal memo briefing officers about it.
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The new policy is good for passengers and is long overdue, Harmon-Marshall said in an emailed statement. He added that officers would now be able to screen travelers more swiftly.
'They should feel relieved knowing that technology has advanced so significantly that TSA officers can detect threats while wearing shoes,' he added. 'In the old days, this wasn't the case.'
The TSA has been requiring passengers to remove their shoes since 2006, nearly five years after a terrorist tried to detonate an explosive in his shoe while aboard an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami.
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Travelers pay for the privilege for keeping their shoes on, one of the hallmarks of the TSA's PreCheck program, which costs roughly $80 for five years and grants expedited screening. Harmon-Marshall said in his statement that he believed a 'huge shift' was underway with the PreCheck program.
The TSA knows that allowing standard travelers access to perks like keeping on their shoes 'will significantly diminish the value of PreCheck,' he added.
This article originally appeared in
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