Overview

• Travelers nationwide can now keep their shoes on at TSA checkpoints under a new multi-layered screening protocol using CT scanners and millimeter-wave imaging
• Screening agents retain the authority to request shoe removal or conduct additional checks if anomalies are detected
• The agency’s $1.3 billion investment in CT scanners aims to cut wait times by as much as 50 percent while enhancing threat detection
• The original 2006 shoe-removal rule, enacted after Richard Reid’s attempted bombing, never uncovered a threat and was widely criticized by passengers and experts
• The Department of Homeland Security plans demonstrations of electromagnetic shoe scanners in fiscal 2026, with testing slated for fiscal 2027