TSA says no more shoes off at the airport

Airport security is embarking on a makeover that ensures the smell of feet won’t permeate throughout the building—and that you’ll have more time at the gate to grab snacks.

The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) shoes-off policy for all travelers will soon be coming to an end, according to multiple sources, who cite a memo the TSA sent out to employees last week regarding the policy change.

• Airports have already started a phased rollout of the policy, which is expected to be live at all US airports shortly, per the memo.

It marks a departure from a nearly two-decade travel staple. The agency, which cites technological improvements as the reason behind the change, implemented the no-shoes rule in 2006. It followed an incident where a British man attempted to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoe in December 2001.

But the move leaves a looming question

What will happen to TSA PreCheck?

• ~41 million Americans currently have access to PreCheck, which, for ~$80 over five years, grants the holder expedited screening where shoes, belts, and jackets don’t have to be removed.
• However, now that its biggest perk is now available to the general public, the program has been devalued. 

This means...Changes are likely coming to the list of PreCheck benefits, according to analysts. But other change could also be in the air: A recent bill from two Republican senators calls for the abolishment of the TSA.