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1h ago

TSA Rolls Out Soft Launch Allowing Shoes On at Select U.S. Airports

Advanced screening systems now allow officers to detect threats with passengers wearing 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)
Lines of people wait to get through TSA airport screening.
Image

Overview

  • On July 7, travelers at eight major U.S. airports (BWI, FLL, CVG, PDX, PHL, PTI, LAX and LGA) could keep their shoes on during standard security screening.
  • An internal memo distributed to TSA officers cited upgraded detection technology as the basis for eliminating the shoe removal step and initiated a phased rollout.
  • Passengers who trigger scanner or magnetometer alarms must still take off their shoes for secondary inspection.
  • Neither TSA nor DHS has publicly confirmed the policy change, and sources say it will extend quietly to additional airports ahead of a formal announcement.
  • Analysts warn that extending the shoe-on benefit to all travelers may diminish the value proposition of the fee-based TSA PreCheck program.