Travelers at Portland International Airport will soon be able to keep their shoes on while they pass through security — no PreCheck required.
Why it matters: Passengers stopping to remove their shoes at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints can slow down lines — and most people would rather skip walking through airports in socks or bare feet, even briefly.
What’s happening: The TSA is rolling out the new shoes-on policy at select airports, multiple outlets reported.
- Implementation of the new procedure has begun at PDX, a Port of Portland official told Axios.
The big picture: This is the first time in about 20 years that general passengers can keep their shoes on, Axios’ Josephine Walker reports.
What they’re saying: A TSA spokesperson told Axios the agency is “always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture.”
Flashback: The TSA started the shoes-off rule at airport security checkpoints in 2006, according to CBS News. This was five years after the 9/11 attacks and a 2001 incident when a man tried to set off explosives hidden in his shoes on a flight, but was stopped by passengers and crew.
Zoom out: Passengers willing to pay $78 every five years for TSA PreCheck have been able to keep their shoes on for years, and nearly always wait less than 10 minutes, per the TSA.
The bottom line: The next time you fly out of PDX, you likely won’t have to worry about ease of shoe removal — or the state of your socks.
