BY: Nyla Stanford
Published 2 weeks ago
It’s official: The TSA no longer requires you to bare your past-due pedicures for all the world to see. Shoe removal is not needed to pass through airport security. Shoes, for now, get to remain on.
Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a policy update allowing travelers to keep their shoes on while going through security checkpoints. Aside from the Real ID requirements, this encourages a more efficient approach to air travel. DHS’s reevaluation of the shoe removal policy change is designed to reduce wait times at U.S. airports’ TSA checkpoints. This creates a less stressful experience for both passengers and employees. Keeping shoes on will not affect safety precautions, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “Thanks to our cutting-edge technological advancements and multi-layered security approach, we are confident we can implement this change while maintaining the highest security standards,” said Secretary Noem.
The Reason for the Policy
The bigger question is, why were travelers required to remove their shoes in the first place? Richard Reid, better known as the shoe bomber, would be the culprit. On December 22, 2001, not too far from the devastating 9/11 attacks, Reid boarded a plane from Paris to Miami with 10 ounces of explosives concealed in his shoes. Although he wasn’t able to light the fuse, had the bomb detonated, it could have blown through the fuselage and caused the plane to crash. For over two decades, DHS has taken extra precautions to prevent a national catastrophe. Consequently, airport security policies have remained strict.
The Involvement of the Trump Administration
The Trump administration introduced a change to remove shoes. This came along with the “Serve with Honor, Travel with Ease” program, which provides special benefits to uniformed service members and their families. The DHS is seeking ways to enhance travel efficiency. As stated by Secretary Noem, the current technology surpasses shoe-bomber times by a wide margin. Current high-level scanning can be done without removing unnecessary items. Hence, the beauty of living in a technological era is the ease of knowing that monitoring can be maintained without inconveniencing those around them.
Previous Attempts at Changing the Policy
However, this wouldn’t be the first time the TSA has tweaked its shoe removal policy. Shoe scanners were introduced into airports in 2002, a year after the shoe bomber, attempting to find a middle ground between DHS and lawmakers. For a few years, Quantum Magnetics made adjustments and updates to fully integrate the technology into everyday practice. Even so, DHS reinstated the policy in 2006 after intelligence indicated ongoing threats. The reinstatement could be due to the terrorism plot to detonate liquid explosives carried onboard at least 10 airliners traveling from the UK to the United States and Canada within the same month. The attempt once again instilled fear.
With time, we’ve entered a new era. Passengers won’t be required to purchase a membership with PreCheck to avoid shoe removal. Instead, they can blissfully move through the line knowing it won’t be an hour wait.
How will this policy impact your travel plans? Do you think it will cut down wait times at security checkpoints? Comment below!
