DHS confirms shoes can stay on at all TSA checkpoints

Good news for anyone traveling by plane, you can keep your shoes on when going through a TSA checkpoint.

After reports surfaced that a memo indicated the shoes-off requirement was being eliminated at select airports, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the change, stating that shoes can remain on for most passengers at airports nationwide, The New York Times reported.

“We’re so excited that we can make the experience for those individuals traveling throughout our airports in the United States much more hospitable, more efficient for them, more timely, and that they can get to their destinations and spend much more time with their loved ones,” Noem said on Tuesday.

She cited a “layered” approach to security that includes the Real ID requirement, new technology and more security staff.

“We’ve gone back and looked at our security processes, looked at the efficacy of everything that we do,” Noem said. “All of that has been evaluated to see what is effective, what should stay in place and what should be removed to streamline the process.”

Some people may still be asked to take off their shoes “if we think additional layers of screening are necessary,” Noem said, according to The Associated Press.

The new shoe policy was first reported by travel newsletter site Gate Access on Friday.

Travelers who passed through TSA security checkpoints had been required to remove their shoes since 2006, five years after Richard Reid tried to set off an explosive that was concealed in his shoe.

Leaving shoes on was one of the perks for those who signed up for TSA PreCheck. The pre-screening system also allowed passengers to leave lightweight jackets and belts on and keep their liquids and laptops in their carry-on, the AP said.

Noem said that PreCheck would still be useful for the 20 million members, even with the adjustment in shoe policy, the Times reported.

Other changes may be coming, including dedicated lanes for military members and ones for families with young children.

Noem also hinted that some airports would allow passengers to pass through checkpoints without interacting with TSA officers.

“I think over the next six to nine months, you will see, across the country, pilot lanes and security checkpoints that will give us even more advancements and make this security process much more streamlined for the traveler,” Noem said, according to the Times.

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