TSA is no longer requiring passengers to remove shoes at some airports


My mother hasn’t been on a plane in many years, and picked the recent holiday weekend to get back in the game. (Well, it wasn’t exactly her choice; she went to one day of a conference where they were announcing a new fellowship in my late father’s honor, #Proud.) I gave her two pieces of advice ahead of time: first, “Don’t be a target,” to which she responded, “What does that mean?” and I thought, “Oh crap.” And the second tip was to wear socks the whole time, even if she’s wearing sandals (which she always is). Like Michelle Williams, I firmly believe bare feet on planes is a big no-no. It’s icky for others, and it’s icky for yourself! (Incidentally, my mother recounted in horror how another passenger spent the flight in flip flops and very short shorts.) I’d also never want to be barefoot in the security line, for that stretch when you have to put your shoes in the bin. Except the Transportation Security Administration has got me there, cause the TSA is now binning the shoe removal policy — in some airports — after 20 years:

A memo detailing the new policy of allowing all passengers to keep their shoes on in all screening lanes in some national airports was reportedly sent out to TSA officers last week, per ABC News. However, if they trigger the scanner, passengers would be required to take off their shoes for additional screening.

The airports that have already started implementing these changes include Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Portland International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina, according to CBS News.

Passengers at Los Angeles International Airport and New York City’s LaGuardia Airport also appeared to have not been asked to take off their shoes in the general screening lines on Monday, July 7, according to CBS News.

The TSA did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on its screening policies regarding shoes.

A spokesperson for the agency told the Times in a statement: “T.S.A. and D.H.S. are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture. Any potential updates to our security process will be issued through official channels.”

Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA officer who broke the news on his travel newsletter, Gate Access, told the Times that the change is “overdue” and was likely due to evolving technology, which can detect threats more easily.

“They should feel relieved knowing that technology has advanced so significantly that T.S.A. officers can detect threats while wearing shoes,” he told the outlet in a statement. “In the old days, this wasn’t the case.”

Previously only those who had TSA pre-check — which cost about $80 to enroll — were allowed to keep their shoes on, along with their belts and jackets in screening lanes. In order to obtain TSA pre-check, passengers have to go through a clearance process with the Transportation Security Administration.

The TSA began requiring passengers who were getting screened to take off their shoes after a man named Richard Reid implanted explosives in his shoes while planning to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, according to the outlets.

[From People]

“They should feel relieved knowing that technology has advanced so significantly that T.S.A. officers can detect threats while wearing shoes.” Attention passengers: we will now be making a slight detour into sentence structure. Once again, I cannot hide my inner grammar nerd! It’s just tickling me no end that former TSA officer and current TSA blogger Caleb Harmon-Marshall composed his sentence in a way that makes it sound like it was the officers who previously had to go shoeless for the sake of security. But at long last we have the technology for them to keep their shoes on while they work! Syntax aside, I applaud Harmon-Marshall for the enthusiasm with which he shares his insider knowledge. Upon reading his post, I learned something that People Mag didn’t mention: TSA is likely to make REAL ID-compliant identification (so, NOT Costco) a requirement for enjoying shoe privileges. I still haven’t gotten mine yet (I know, I KNOW), but I do have pre-check. Plus it appears that TSA agents have already moved seamlessly from barking at fliers to take off their shoes, to barking at us to keep them on. Shoes or no shoes, at least we’ll still have the confrontational tension.

Cindy Crawford and Khloe Kardashian are shown in photos from LAX in 2018 and 2016, credit: Backgrid. Other photo credit Connor Danylenko on Pexels

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

7 Responses to “TSA is no longer requiring passengers to remove shoes at some airports”

  1. Kiki says:

    The fact that Khloe is barefoot in an airport is the least disgusting thing about her.

  2. Indica says:

    In the (cyber)security world, we call this ‘security theater’. The ‘it looks like we’re doing something so you’re more secure, but in reality… it doesn’t work great’. Unfortunately, the powers-that-be love it.

  3. manda says:

    It shocks me that people wear short shorts on the plane. I don’t want to touch any part of my bare skin to any part of the plane!

    Re the shoe thing, my husband and I went to Japan in 2017, and were surprised to learn that not everyone did the shoe thing! Except, I did have to take my knee high boots off, and they gave me slippers to wear, which of course they did.

    It will be nice to not have to take shoes off, it definitely slows the line down and causes little bottlenecks. That and unpacking computers. But I will miss the super comfy foamy mat that they have just beyond the scanner. It is so thick and squishy! I’ve never found a chef’s mat nearly as squishy, I could literally stand on it all day

  4. Lightpurple says:

    Nice that TSA has finally upgraded to the scanners that have been in use at sports arenas for a few years. I suspect we have Biden’s infrastructure law to thank for that. I’m still not flying while that imbecile Sean Duffy destroys DOT. Scary enough that my house is not far from an airport

  5. teehee says:

    Khloe’s fake butt is comically terrible.

    Look, you’re either thin and have a small butt, or, you’re larger and so is your butt.

    Snitch, you canNOT have BOTH!

Commenting Guidelines

Read the article before commenting.

We aim to be a friendly, welcoming site where people can discuss entertainment stories and current events in a lighthearted, safe environment without fear of harassment, excessive negativity, or bullying. Different opinions, backgrounds, ages, and nationalities are welcome here - hatred and bigotry are not. If you make racist or bigoted remarks, comment under multiple names, or wish death on anyone you will be banned. There are no second chances if you violate one of these basic rules.

By commenting you agree to our comment policy and our privacy policy

Do not engage with trolls, contrarians or rude people. Comment "troll" and we will see it.

Please e-mail the moderators at cbcomments at gmail.com to delete a comment if it's offensive or spam. If your comment disappears, it may have been eaten by the spam filter. Please email us to get it retrieved.

You can sign up to get an image next to your name at Gravatar.com Thank you!

Leave a comment after you have read the article

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment