For the first time in almost 20 years, travelers might no longer be required to take off their shoes during security screenings at U.S. airports.
The Transportation Security Administration plans to abandon the additional security step that has for years bedeviled anyone passing through U.S. airports, according to media reports.
If implemented, it would put an end to a security screening mandate put in place almost 20 years ago, several years after "shoe bomber" Richard Reid's failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001.
A belt and shoes sit in a trays Jan. 10, 2007, at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles.Â
The travel newsletter Gate Access was first to report the security screening change is coming. ABC News reported on an internal memo sent to TSA officers last week that states the new policy allows travelers keep their shoes on during standard screenings at U.S. airports, beginning Sunday.
People are also reading…
The plan is for the change to occur at all U.S. airports soon, the memo said.
Travelers have been able to skirt the extra security requirement if they participate in the TSA PreCheck program, which costs about $80 for five years. The program allows airline passengers to get through the screening process without removing shoes, belts or light jackets.
Travelers who are 75 years old or older and those 12 or younger do not have to remove shoes at security checkpoints.
The TSA has not officially confirmed the reported security screening change yet.
An airline passenger holds his shoes and has a loosened belt while waiting to go through the Transportation Security Administration security checkpoint Aug. 3, 2011, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta.Â
"TSA and DHS are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance passenger experience and our strong security posture," a TSA spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. "Any potential updates to our security process will be issued through official channels."
The TSA began in 2001 when President George W. Bush signed legislation for its creation two months after the 9/11 attacks. The agency included federal airport screeners that replaced the private companies airlines used to handle security.
Over the years the TSA continued to look for ways to enhance its security measures, including testing facial recognition technology and implementing Real ID requirements.
One of the most prominent friction points for travelers is the TSA at screening checkpoints. Trump's Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked the public in an April social media post what would make travel more seamless.
"It's very clear that TSA is the #1 travel complaint. That falls under the Department of Homeland Security. I'll discuss this with @Sec_Noem," Duffy wrote in on social media the following day.
A Transportation Security Administration agent signals for the next passenger in line at a security checkpoint May 26, 2023, in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.Â
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was scheduled to host a news conference Tuesday evening at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to announce a new TSA policy "that will make screening easier for passengers, improve traveler satisfaction, and reduce wait times," her agency said.
Trump fired TSA Administrator David Pekoske in January in the middle of a second five-year term, though he was appointed by Trump during his first term in the White House. Pekoske was reappointed by President Joe Biden.
No reason was given for Pekoske's departure. The administrator position remains vacant, according to the TSA website.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥: A look at coral bleaching around the world
A fish swims near coral showing signs of bleaching July 23 at Cheeca Rocks off the coast of Islamorada, Fla.
Bleached coral is visible Sept. 16, 2023, at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Galveston, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Bleaching is visible Oct. 24 on a coral reef off the coast of Nha Trang, Vietnam.
Bleached coral is visible during a scuba dive at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, in the Gulf of Mexico. The sanctuary had some moderate bleaching this year but nothing like the devastation that hit other reefs during the summer's record-breaking heat. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Bleached coral sits next to healthy coral during a scuba dive at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Galveston, Texas, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Pieces of stag horn coral grow in Nova Southeastern University's offshore coral reef nursery Sept. 27, 2012, near Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
A diver with nonprofit Reef Renewal USA pounds a stake into the sea floor as he helps relocate a coral nursery into deeper water Aug. 1 near Tavernier, Fla., in the Florida Keys, to try to ride out the heat wave.
This image provide by NOAA, shows a dead coral at Cheeca Rocks off the coast of Islamorada, Fla., on July 23, 2023.Â
In this image provide by NOAA, the sun shines on coral showing sign of bleaching at Cheeca Rocks off the coast of Islamorada, Fla., on July 23, 2023. Scientists have seen devastating effects from prolonged hot water surrounding Florida — coral bleaching and some death.Â
In this image provide by NOAA, coral shows signs of bleaching at Cheeca Rocks off the coast of Islamorada, Fla., on July 23, 2023.Â
In this image provide by NOAA, a turtle swims near coral, some partially white or pink, that are signs of bleaching, at Cheeca Rocks off the coast of Islamorada, Fla., on July 23, 2023.Â
A bleached flower coral (Eusmilia fastigiata) seen July 20 in the North Dry Rocks Reef off the coast of Key Largo, Fla.Â
A finger coral impacted by record-high water temperature at Eastern Dry Rocks off Key West, Fla., is seen July 17 in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Some Florida Keys corals are losing their color weeks earlier in the summer than has been documented before.
Restored coral colonies remain healthy July 17 despite the record-high water temperatures in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
