OAN Staff Blake Wolf
12:39 PM – Tuesday, July 8, 2025

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that it is phasing out its security screening protocol of asking flyers to take off their shoes.

The change in protocol was reportedly first enacted by the Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Portland International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, and the Piedmont Triad International Airport.

The news was confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, affirmatively responding to a report by CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs, who wrote: “Travelers no longer have to remove their shoes to get through the regular line at TSA security checkpoints at airports,” in an X post on Monday night.

Jacobs noted that CBS News correspondents flying from the Los Angeles International Airport and NYC’s LaGuardia airport “reported tonight that they and other passengers didn’t have to take off their shoes.”

TSA has yet to formally announce the policy change. However, a TSA spokesperson did emphasize that “TSA and [Department of Homeland Security] are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture.”

The shoe removal policy was introduced in 2006, with officials citing the “continuing threat” of explosives after London-born Islamist terrorist Richard Reid previously attempted to detonate homemade explosives, which were implanted in his shoes, on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami on December 22, 2001. Fortunately, Reid struggled to light the fuse attached to his shoe, which would have detonated around “10 ounces of explosive material,” according to the FBI. He was then forcibly confined by passengers and crew members, and later pleaded guilty to terrorism charges. Reid is still serving a life sentence in a Colorado prison.

Speaking with the New York Times, former TSA officer Caleb Harmon-Marshall stated that the new policy will allow security checkpoint lines to move more quickly as modern advanced technology bypasses the need for the shoes-off policy.

“They should feel relieved knowing that technology has advanced so significantly that TSA officers can detect threats while wearing shoes,” he stated. “In the old days, this wasn’t the case.”

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