Michelle Chapman, AP Business Writer
For the first time in almost 20 years, travelers may no longer have to remove their shoes during security screenings at US airports.
Media reports say the Transportation Security Bureau is trying to abandon additional security steps that have been baffling anyone passing through US airports for years.
If implemented, it would put an end to a security screening power of attorney introduced almost 20 years after the failure of Richard Reid, a “shoe bomber” attempting to seize a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001.
Travel Newsletter Gate Access was the first to report that security screening changes were coming. ABC News reported on an internal memo sent to TSA officers last week. This allows travelers to wear shoes during standard screenings at many US airports starting Sunday. It will soon expand to all airports.
The plan is a change to be made at all US airports any time soon, the memo says.
Travelers were previously able to skirt additional security requirements if they participated in the TSA Precheck program. The program allows airline passengers to go through the screening process without removing shoes, belts or light jackets.
All passengers between the ages of 12 and 75 are required to remove the shoes.
The TSA has not yet officially confirmed any reported security screening changes.
“TSA and DHS are constantly exploring new and innovative ways to enhance passenger experience and strong security attitudes,” a TSA spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. “Potential updates to the security process will be issued through official channels.”
The TSA began in 2001 when President George W. Bush signed the law created two months after the 9/11 attacks. The agency included federal airport screeners to replace the private companies that airlines used to handle security.
For many years, TSA has been looking for ways to enhance security measures, such as testing facial recognition technology and implementing actual ID requirements.
One of the most prominent friction points for travelers is the TSA of the screening checkpoint. Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked the public in an April social media post what would make travel more seamless.
The next day, Duffy told X: “It’s very clear that TSA is the number one travel complaint. It falls under the Department of Homeland Security. We’ll discuss it with @Sec_Noem.”
Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem will hold a press conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday evening to announce a new TSA policy that will “make passenger screening, improve traveler satisfaction and reduce wait times.”
Trump fired TSA administrator David Pekoske in January midst of his second five-year term in January, but he was appointed by Trump in his first term in the White House. Pecosuke was reappointed by President Joe Biden.
There was no reason for Pekosuke to leave. According to the TSA website, administrator positions remain vacant.
Original issue: July 8, 2025, 10:12am EDT
