Overview
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced at Ronald Reagan National Airport on July 9 that the TSA has abolished its shoe-removal requirement first imposed in 2006 after Richard Reid’s attempted shoe bombing.
- The agency cites recent deployment of high-resolution X-ray scanners alongside a unified, multi-agency screening framework as enabling the policy change.
- TSA officials expect the update to sharply reduce passenger wait times and simplify the screening process across U.S. airports.
- Travelers lacking Real ID–compliant documents or requiring additional scrutiny will still be asked to remove their shoes during security checks.
- All other TSA security measures, including identity verification and Secure Flight passenger vetting, remain in place under the layered screening model.