The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has quietly ended its decades-old policy of requiring standard travelers to remove their shoes during airport security screening.
The agency introduced the rule in 2001 after Richard Reid, known as the “Shoe Bomber,” attempted to detonate explosives hidden in his shoes on a flight.
24 years ago:
On December 22, 2001—just months after the 9/11 attacks—Richard Reid boarded American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami with homemade bombs hidden in his shoes.
During the flight, Reid tried to detonate his shoes, but he struggled to light the fuse. Crew… https://t.co/lMdllS46Sm pic.twitter.com/x7P0efekfq
— Angela Van Der Pluym (@anjewla90) July 7, 2025
More info from Yahoo Creators:
This marks the most significant revision to TSA’s screening process in more than two decades and effectively ends one of the most notorious post-9/11 requirements for air travel in the United States.
Travel WithTheHarmony, a former TSA officer and creator of Gate Access, announced the news over the weekend via TikTok. Starting Monday, July 7, TSA officers nationwide will begin implementing the updated protocol. The policy applies to all U.S. airports and all passengers, whether they are enrolled in TSA PreCheck or not. The only known exception at this time is for individuals who are unable to present a REAL ID-compliant form of identification, a federal standard that was fully enforced back in May 2025.
The change comes after years of public frustration over inconsistent airport experiences, long security lines, and a growing debate over the necessity of certain screening procedures.
According to internal memos, the updated rule is a result of both technological advancements and a comprehensive reassessment of threat-level risks. Modern scanning equipment is now capable of detecting potential hazards without requiring passengers to remove their shoes, a perk previously reserved for TSA PreCheck lanes.
The timing of this shift seems anything but coincidental. TSA has come under increased scrutiny in recent months, particularly from lawmakers frustrated with long lines, inconsistent screening standards, and what some view as overly invasive procedures.
TSA is no longer forcing us to take off our shoes.
It’s a small win, but I’ll take it.— Angela McArdle (@RealAngelaMc) July 7, 2025
However, the ending of the shoe removal policy could be a minuscule win for the future technology the Department of Homeland Security intends to use.
DHS is developing shoe scanner technology for screening purposes.
TSA’S NEXT MOVE: SHOE SCANNERS BUILT INTO THE FLOOR
They call it “convenience.”
But it’s silent surveillance…millimeter waves, 3D imaging, biometric scans triggered the moment you step in.They’re not making travel safer.
They’re building the surveillance state from the… pic.twitter.com/A1sZ4fMYXb— HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) July 7, 2025
Per DHS:
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up. View the original article here.A prototype shoe scanner has been developed for potential integration with the HD-AIT, which could support a future screening experience that provides a fast and efficient alternative to current security practices at airports. The shoe scanner operates similarly to the HD-AIT passenger screening system. When a passenger steps onto the shoe scanner, harmless millimeter waves pass through the sole of the shoe and 3D data is sent to a computer for review. The footwear scan takes approximately two seconds and data processing about five seconds. In the future, the shoe scanner could be incorporated in the floor of passenger screening systems so both passengers and their shoes can be screened at the same time.
After developing the passenger screening and prototype shoe-scanner systems, the Screening at Speed Program began pursuing more forward leaning on-person screening applications like real-time passenger screening panels. Real-Time Advanced Imaging Technology builds upon the HD-AIT technology, increases its capability, and places it inside modular panel sensors to collect images at video rates as passengers walk-by or move in front of the panels. Real-time screening will enable next generation concepts of operations for aviation security, such as checkpoint-less screening, allowing higher passenger throughput rates and lower pat down rates.
In October 2020, the shoe scanner received the R&D 100 Award for IT and Electrical engineering. In the summer of 2024, the Real-Time AIT system also won an R&D 100 Award in the Software/Services category. The R&D 100 awards are the only science and technology awards that recognize new innovations of significance available for sale or license.
In early 2021, both the HD-AIT passenger screening system and the shoe scanner were commercialized to Liberty Defense Holdings Ltd. of Atlanta, Georgia. The limited license allowed Liberty Defense to demonstrate an HD-AIT retrofit-kit installed in the shell of a passenger screening system already deployed to airports nationwide.
In 2022, the Screening at Speed Program and PNNL also won the Interagency Partnership Award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer for their work to commercialize both the HD-AIT passenger screening system and the shoe scanner.
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