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14h ago

TSA Moves to Let Travelers Keep Shoes On at More U.S. Airports

Upgraded screening technology now allows TSA to detect threats without requiring passengers to remove footwear.

An air traveler places his shoes in a bin before passing through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security check at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on February 20, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. The TSA recently launched a PreCheck program that allows those enrolled in a trusted traveler network to enter about 100 US airports through a special security lane where they dont have to take off shoes, belts and jackets or remove laptops, liquids or gels. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
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FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2011 photo, an experienced airline passenger holds his shoes and has an unloosened belt while waiting to go through the Transportation Security Administration security checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser, File)

Overview

  • An internal memo leaked Monday instructs officers to begin letting travelers keep shoes on in general screening lanes at select airports starting this Sunday.
  • Phase one covers airports including Baltimore/Washington, Fort Lauderdale, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Portland, Philadelphia and Piedmont Triad with reports from LAX and LaGuardia confirming the practice.
  • Passengers whose footwear triggers alarms at scanners or magnetometers will still be asked to remove shoes for additional screening.
  • The change extends a benefit long exclusive to TSA PreCheck members and is expected to prompt a reassessment of the fee-based expedited screening program.
  • White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called it “big news” and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will formalize the policy and outline a full nationwide rollout.