The traveler is waiting in a long security line at John Wayne airport in Santa Ana on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
Allen J. Schaben | Los Angeles Times | Getty images
The Security Administration transportation plans to let many travelers leave their shoes at the control points of the American airport, ending a rule of approximately 20 years, according to people familiar with the problem.
The ASD informed members of the industry about change on Tuesday, people said.
Most of the passengers have been required to remove their shoes from the security checks of the American airport since 2006. The TSA at the time said that it required the requirement to withdraw shoes or explosive screening due to “intelligence pointing towards a continuous threat”.
This came after Richard Reid, who became known as “shoe bomber”, tried and failed to ignite explosive equipment in his shoe on a flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001.
Travelers enrolled in the PRECHECK PRECHECK program can already leave their shoes and keep their laptops and electronic likely in their bags when they go through airport control points.
An air traveler places his shoes in a tank before going through the Security Administration Transportation Security Control (TSA) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on February 20, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
Robyn Beck | AFP | Getty images
The agency refused to comment on the change and said that IT and the Ministry of Homeland Security “are still exploring new innovative ways to improve passenger experience and our strong security posture. Any potential update of our security process will be issued through official channels.”
The news was reported earlier by Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA officer who writes the Gate Access newsletter.