Division of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem introduced Tuesday that vacationers will not be required to take away their sneakers when going by Transportation Safety Administration safety checkpoints in any respect airports throughout the U.S., ending the practically two-decade mandate by the company.
Noem stated the brand new coverage goes into impact in any respect airports throughout the nation.
Although the tools put in at every airport would possibly differ, Noem assured that DHS evaluated the tools at every airport and is “totally assured” that there’s enough safety as people undergo the screening course of with their sneakers on.
“There can be people at occasions that can be requested to take away their sneakers, if we predict there may be extra layers of screening that’s needed that will nonetheless occur to a person,” Noem stated at a information convention at Reagan Nationwide Airport Tuesday afternoon. “However we’re excited with the truth that we’ve the expertise now that we’ve the multi layers of screening in place that we have in-built over the current a number of years, they provide us the flexibility to permit our vacationers to maintain their sneakers on.”
A traveler removes his sneakers earlier than going by a safety test level at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, February, 29, 2012. REUTERS/Andrew Burton/File Picture
Andrew Burton/Reuters
Noem stated the company was in a position to terminate the coverage because of the “layered safety” in place by the TSA. These layers embrace extra officers at safety checkpoints, new scanners and expertise and the just lately enforced REAL ID requirement.
“Passengers will nonetheless go by a number of layers of screening. They’re going to additionally undergo identification verification. And, in actual fact, TSA has just lately skilled some improbable success with implementing REAL ID as, you realize, REAL ID was put into statute over 20 years in the past and we just lately put that into place.”
These touring with out a REAL ID won’t be required to take off their sneakers, however people could possibly be flagged for different causes which may require them to undergo extra safety screening.
Regardless of the brand new coverage, Noem stated that TSA PreCheck nonetheless holds worth for vacationers because it permits them to bypass extra safety screening measures.
“I imagine PreCheck will nonetheless be one thing that many vacationers will need to make the most of, as a result of once they have TSA PreCheck, they will not must take off their belt or their coat or take away issues out of their bag that similar to laptops or compliant liquids.”
Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem speaks throughout a information convention the place she introduced that almost all airline passengers will not must take away their sneakers at safety checkpoints, July 8, 2025, at Reagan Nationwide Airport in Washington, D.C.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Trying forward, Noem stated the company is working to streamline the method and over the subsequent six to 9 months they hope to introduce a safety checkpoint pilot program at a number of airports that can enable people to undergo the screening course of with out interacting with an officer, stroll by machines or take away any gadgets like laptops from their luggage. She additionally added that sure airports at present have household lane safety factors which permits households to get by the screening collectively individually from others, making it simpler for these touring with infants and kids.
Following Noem’s announcement, Airways for America, an airline commerce group which represents the main air carriers within the U.S., launched a press release supporting the DHS effort.
“We applaud Division of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem for her management and imaginative and prescient to reexamine the 20-year-old shoe screening requirement,” stated Nicholas E. Calio, president and CEO of the group. “This coverage change will go a great distance in facilitating clean, seamless and safe journey for passengers and is welcome information to the hundreds of thousands of people that fly day by day.”
