The Transportation Security Administration has revoked a longstanding policy that may come as a shock to frequent airline passengers.
The TSA has plans for travelers to keep their shoes on while walking through security checkpoints at several major U.S. airports. According to ABC News, TSA officers received a surprise memo in early July about the policy update.
Moving forward, passengers will no longer have to remove their shoes, with airports implementing the new allowance starting July 6. The removal of shoes during TSA screenings first became a rule in 2006.
The policy came about five years after a man tried to hide explosives packed in his shoes while aboard an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. However, his plan to cause an explosion on the aircraft failed, as passengers and crew held him down after the botched incident. Although the explosives failed to detonate, it resulted in an additional step in the security screening process.
Since then, every traveler within a certain age range has had to remove their shoes in the standard security lines. Some exceptions included younger and elderly passengers, as well as those with TSA PreCheck and, more recently, the security bypass program Clear.
However, long lines continue to plague popular airports—some wait for hours during peak flying periods, such as the winter holiday season.
Given this, the TSA has implemented new solutions to expedite the process. Now, only those who trigger the security sensors will have to remove their shoes for an additional screening.
Over the July 4 holiday weekend alone, the transportation agency expected to see over 18.5 million travelers. Last July, the TSA broke its single-day record for travelers going through airport security, with over 3 million passengers passing through. Officials hope this new update will accommodate the influx of airport visitors.
According to the memo, the new update will soon be rolled out to all U.S. airports.
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