The Department of Homeland Security formally announced on Tuesday that all commercial airline passengers passing through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints at airports are now allowed to keep their shoes on.
TSA first instituted a “shoes off” policy in 2006, almost five years after “Shoe Bomber” Richard Reid tried to set off explosives hidden in his shoes during an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami.
Travelers with TSA PreCheck status have been able to keep their shoes on at TSA checkpoints since 2013, courtesy of the expedited screening privileges the paid program offers.
But as of today, all passengers, including those with and those without TSA PreCheck status, may keep their shoes when going through screening at airport checkpoints.
Why the change?
DHS believes that its “cutting-edge technological advancements and multi-layered security approach” means the agency can now “implement this change while maintaining the highest security standards.”
Keep in mind, though, that the ‘shoe pass’ isn’t universal.
If you have shoes with metal in them, they’re likely to set off the alarm and you’ll be asked to take them off and send them through the X-ray machine.
If you’re selected for random extra screening (the dreaded “SSSS” on your boarding pass), you’ll also likely be asked to take your shoes off and send them through the machine.
And, as we were today, you also may be chosen at random to step aside at the checkpoint and have your shoes wiped with those little pads to check for explosives.
