In a major shift to airport security procedures, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will no longer require travelers to remove their shoes at security checkpoints, beginning July 7, 2025. The change applies to all passengers, regardless of TSA PreCheck status, and marks the end of a nearly 20-year policy widely criticized as inconvenient and outdated.

The original shoe removal rule was introduced in August 2006 in response to the 2001 attempted shoe bombing by Richard Reid on a transatlantic flight. Until now, only PreCheck members, children under 13, and seniors over 75 were exempt from the requirement.