US Airports No Longer Require Shoe Removal During Pre-Flight Screenings

In a significant shift in post-9/11 airport security policy, select major airports in the United States are no longer enforcing the rule that requires passengers to remove their shoes during standard preflight screenings. This change has been confirmed by CBS News, with no official announcement made by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

The airports where the no-shoe-removal rule is no longer being enforced include Baltimore/Washington International, Fort Lauderdale International, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Portland International, Philadelphia International, and Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina, according to officials familiar with the development. Additionally, reports from CBS News correspondents at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and New York City’s LaGuardia Airport suggest that the relaxed protocol is also being observed at these locations, despite not being officially listed among the initial airports.

However, this change only applies to passengers going through standard TSA screening lines. Those enrolled in the TSA PreCheck program, which requires a pre-screening process, were already exempt from the shoe-removal requirement.

The TSA has not publicly announced this policy shift, but they have stated that they are always looking for new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience while maintaining strong security measures. This change marks one of the first major relaxations of the shoe-removal protocol in nearly two decades.

The requirement to remove shoes during airport security screenings was officially implemented in 2006, after British national Richard Reid, also known as the “shoe bomber,” attempted to blow up an American Airlines flight in December 2001 using explosives hidden in his footwear. Although the plot was foiled by passengers and the flight landed safely in Boston, it prompted increased security measures across US airports. Initially, shoe removal was a voluntary practice, but it soon became mandatory at security checkpoints across the country.

While this change may be a welcome relief for frequent flyers, it is not yet universal. Travelers flying from US airports not listed in the initial phase should still plan to remove their shoes unless they are part of the TSA PreCheck program. There is no set timeline for a nationwide rollback, but industry insiders suggest that more airports could be quietly added in the coming weeks.