AARP Hearing Center
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) ended its shoe removal mandate at U.S. airport security checkpoints on July 8. The policy had long been considered a top frustration among airline travelers.
Previously, children 12 and under and passengers 75 and older were exempt from the policy. Now, everyone can keep their shoes on, effective immediately, nationwide.
“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,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during a news conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on July 8.
AARP’s 2025 Travel Trends survey found that airplanes are the most popular form of transportation for those 50 and older. The change is set to make the experience faster, safer and less stressful, especially among older travelers and those with mobility issues or chronic pain, says Emily Nabors, associate director of innovation at the National Council on Aging.
“Taking off your shoes, bending down, rushing. These are known risk factors for falls …. [and] there’s no seating to even be able to remove your shoes safely,” Nabors says. “So to no longer have to go through that frees people up, definitely reduces stress and can streamline the process of getting to your gate, getting where you need to be, so you can get on your way.”
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the government established the TSA to lead airport security. In December of that same year, British national Richard Reid attempted to light the fuse on homemade bombs hidden in his shoes during a flight from Paris to Miami. Crew and passengers intervened to thwart the attempt. The so-called “shoe bomber” case and other continuing threats prompted the 2006 requirement that passengers remove their shoes during screening.
Advancements in screening technology over the last 19 years, plus a layered security and screening environment, now render shoe removal superfluous, Noem said during the news conference. One of those layers: The May 2025 implementation of the 2005 Real ID law, also conceived in the wake of the 2001 terror attacks. She emphasized that the change will increase efficiency.
