Travelers racing to catch a flight at U.S. airports no longer are required to remove their shoes during security screenings, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday.
Noem said the end of the ritual put in place almost 20 years ago was effective nationwide effective immediately. She said a pilot program showed the Transportation Security Administration had the equipment needed to keep airports and aircraft safe while allowing people to keep their shoes on.
''TSA will no longer require travelers to remove their shoes when they go through security checkpoints,'' Noem said.
While shoe removal no longer is standard procedure, some travelers still may be asked to take off their footwear ''if we think additional layers of screening are necessary,'' she added.
Security screening sans shoes became a requirement in 2006, several years after ''shoe bomber'' Richard Reid's failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001.
All passengers between the ages of 12 and 75 were required to remove their shoes, which were scanned along with carry-on luggage.
The travel newsletter Gate Access was first to report that the security screening change would happen soon.
Travelers previously were able to skirt the requirement if they participated in the TSA PreCheck program, which costs around $80 for five years. The program allows airline passengers to get through the screening process without removing shoes, belts or light jackets, and without having to take their laptops and bagged toiletries out.
