Overview

• TSA lifted its shoes-off requirement across all U.S. airports on July 13, allowing travelers to keep their shoes on during security checks.
• The national rollout follows a successful pilot of the shoes-on policy at Denver International Airport that began on July 6.
• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the change will modernize airport processes and significantly reduce passenger wait times at TSA checkpoints.
• Automated screening lines equipped with multi-view CT scanners now generate detailed 3D images of carry-on bags to reliably detect explosive threats.
• The 2006 shoes-off rule, enacted after Richard Reid’s 2001 shoe-bomb attempt, is being retired as U.S. terror incidents hit a 14-year low in 2024.