We’re all familiar with the routine of going to the airport. Once you’ve checked your bag and handed it off to the airline employee, you head over to security, where TSA agents loudly proclaim the steps that you need to take to go through the screening. It’s putting all of your belongings in a bin and taking off your shoes, belt, and any jewelry you have on. However, a recent TSA announcement revealed that one part of the usual routine, the shoe thing, is now being taken out completely for passengers at select airports.
While TSA has announced plans to remove putting shoes through the X-ray as part of their security protocol for passengers, it begs the question of why we had to start doing it in the first place, and the answer can apparently be traced back at least 24 years.
Just a few months after the 9/11 attacks, a man named Richard Reid attempted to detonate a homemade bomb during a trans-Atlantic American Airlines flight. The incident happened on December 22, 2001, after Reid boarded a flight from Paris to Miami. During the flight, he attempted to hide the device by sneaking it into the heel of his hiking boot.
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His crime earned him the nickname “The Shoe Bomber.” While on the flight, Reid attempted to detonate his shoes, but he struggled to light the fuse.
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Crew members and passengers quickly noticed Reid trying to light the fuse and were able to restrain him before he caused any damage. The plane was diverted to Logan International Airport in Boston, and Massachusetts State Police officers immediately took Reid into custody. Reid eventually told FBI agents that he made the shoes himself.
Plymouth County Correctional Facility| Wikimedia Commons
FBI bomb techs learned that the shoes contained 10 ounces of explosive material. During a preliminary hearing, an FBI agent revealed how dangerous the homemade bomb Reid had made was. She explained that bomb techs determined that the bomb would have blown a hole in the plane’s fuselage and caused the plane to crash if it had detonated.
In October 2002, Reid pleaded guilty to eight terrorism- charges and was sentenced to life in federal prison. It was Reid’s shoe bomb that led the TSA to implement a rule requiring passengers, unless they have TSA PreCheck, to remove their shoes while going through the scanner. However, it now appears they’re rolling back on that policy.
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According to NBC Newsin select airports, the TSA will now allow passengers to keep their shoes on while going through security checkpoints. There are certain airports where people will still have to remove their shoes, but a source told the news outlet that the relaxation of the rules could expand nationwide in the near future.
An internal memo first announced the change, which was reported by the blog Gate Access, but has not been officially confirmed by TSA, per a CNN report. For passengers flying out of Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, New York, they reportedly didn’t have to take off their shoes on July 7, but for passengers at O’Hare Airport in Chicago on July 8, they were still asked to remove their shoes.
“TSA and DHS are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture,” TSA public affairs said in a statement, according to CNN. “Any potential updates to our security process will be issued through official channels.”
Whatever updates the TSA makes to its security protocol, whether it’s passengers being told to remove their shoes or not, the safety of passengers seems to be the primary goal. But it’s intriguing to know that going through security might be even less of a hassle if we get to keep our shoes on.
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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
