Moving through American airports has just become a little easier. The US Government has eliminated a bugbear for flyers, with the announcement that it will no longer require travellers to remove their footwear when going through security at airports, effective immediately across the US.
“Today, we have started a new ‘no-shoes’ policy’ with the Transportation Security Administration [TSA]. TSA will no longer require travellers to remove their shoes when they go through our security checkpoints,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a press conference on Tuesday.
The no-shoes policy had been in place since 2006, but Secretary Noem said advancements in security technology had prompted a rethink of the rule.
According to Noem, the new policy is part of the Trump Administration’s aim to make flying easier.
“We want to improve this travel experience, but while maintaining safety standards and making sure that we are keeping people safe as they go to take their vacations, travel for work or spend time with their families,” she stated.
“So we took a hard look at how TSA does its business, how it does its screening processes, and what we do to make people safe, but also provide some hospitality as well.”
Noem added that some passengers may still be required to remove their shoes when “additional layers of screening” are required.
“But overwhelmingly, the policy will be that no longer will that be required of every single person that comes to a checkpoint,” she said.
“With this no-shoes policy, we anticipate that Americans and travellers and those coming into our country will be very excited that they will no longer have to remove their shoes.”
While passengers can now keep their shoes on, they are still required to remove jackets and belts and take laptops out of bags.
During the no-shoes policy, passengers aged between 12 and 75 were required to remove their footwear, with some exemptions, like TSA PreCheck program participants.
Meanwhile, Noem said the TSA is looking at other ways to streamline the security screening process, including testing lanes for families with young children.
“Record travel” coming
The new regulation comes as the United States prepares to host several major events in the coming years, including the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, and the country’s ‘America 250’ anniversary celebrations next year.
“All of those will bring us record travellers to the United States. Many, many people will be on airlines travelling in and out of our airports, and it’s important that we find ways to keep people safe, but also streamline and make the process much more enjoyable for every single person,” Noem said.
“We are very confident that we can continue to provide hospitality to folks and for American travellers and for those visiting our country, while maintaining the same standard of security for passengers and for our homeland.”
Nicholas E. Calio, President and CEO of advocacy group Airlines for America (A4A), praised the move, calling it “welcome news to the millions of people who fly every day”.
“This policy change will go a long way in facilitating smooth, seamless and secure travel for passengers,” he remarked.
“Making security decisions that are informed by risk assessments and based on leveraging advanced technologies is a commonsense approach to policy change.
“Promoting innovation and new procedures is critical during this time of record air travel and as our nation prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
“The TSA recently recorded its busiest day in the agency’s history, screening nearly 3.1 million people on June 22, and seven of the ten busiest days in the agency’s history have now occurred in 2025.”
The announcement comes just days after US Congress passed a bill that will see ESTA fees almost double for Australian travellers.
