Great news! At least for the millions of Canadians who are still going to the United States by plane. There was a major change in the last few days: it’s no longer necessary to remove your shoes at TSA airport security checkpoints. This change will also apply to security checkpoints in Canada (for pre-cleared flights to the United States).
Before opposing the initiative simply because it’s Trump, I remind you that Canada doesn’t have this shoe rule. Very few countries have it, in fact.
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait much longer to see the end of the liquids rule in the US (and likely in Canada), unlike the United Kingdom, which has started abolishing it. But the end of the shoe rule is certainly better than nothing!
Here are the details of this first major change to airport security rules in a long time.
What was the shoe rule at airport security?
The entire airport security checkpoint process is very often considered the best example of security theater.
(The TSA, with its 10 billion US dollar annual budget, misses about 95% of explosives and weapons in its own internal tests; their failures were so bad that they decided not to publicly unveil results anymore…)
One of the strongest arguments in favor of this way of seeing things was certainly the uniquely American requirement to remove shoes at airport security checkpoints.
You’ve probably experienced it if you’re reading this, but it was simple: you had to remove your shoes and put them through the carry-on baggage scanner rather than keep them through the body scanner. This greatly slowed down the process, obviously.
If you’re a savvy traveler who’s a NEXUS member (which gives you TSA PreCheck for free), you were already exempt (it’s been almost a decade since I’ve had to remove my shoes, so I had almost forgotten this still existed, honestly).
Now all travelers are exempt!
What’s changing with the shoe rule at airport security?
The US DHS (Department of Homeland Security) announced that the requirement to remove shoes to go through security was abolished effective immediately. That’s the department that oversees the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), which is in charge of security checkpoints.
Strangely, an internal memo had leaked, and the rule had even started to not be enforced at several airports the day before the official announcement.
In short, this will, of course, make the experience at security checkpoints more pleasant, but more quick especially!
I hate quoting politicians, but there’s a sentence in the press release that many people will love:
“This initiative is just one of many the Trump administration is pursuing to usher in the President’s vision for a new Golden Age of American travel”
The Golden Age!!! That indeed needs to start with at least not having to remove your shoes, just like in every other country in the world.
As mentioned, whether it’s Trump or anyone else, it’s good news. It’s just logical to agree with the abolition, unless you want Canada to add a shoe rule…
(I mention this because there are so many people who are very opposed to American protectionism, but who don’t react at all to Canadian protectionism in the world of aviation that has existed for years and ensures that flight prices here are among the highest in the world!)
Indeed, in Canada, removing shoes was only required for flights to the United States (at airports with US customs pre-clearance).
The Canadian government has therefore confirmed that it will harmonize policies with those of the United States. It’s unclear whether this takes effect immediately, as in the United States, as there was no detailed official press release here.
Why is the airport security shoe rule being abolished?
Some would say the rule was probably never necessary, but it certainly hasn’t been necessary for a while: scanner technology has improved a lot.
For a brief look back at history, in 2001, just a few months after the September 11 attacks, the Shoe Bomber incident happened. The al-Qaeda terrorist had small amounts of explosives in his shoes aboard a Paris-Miami flight and attempted to detonate them, unsuccessfully.
Millions of American flights continued without the slightest change for more than 4 and a half years (!!!), and then in 2006, the United States launched the requirement to remove shoes, at the same time as the liquids rule (I’ll come back to that one in the next section).
Let’s forget the fact that the terrorist hadn’t even departed from the United States and therefore wouldn’t even have been subject to this shoe rule…
So for almost 20 years, all travelers have had to remove their shoes at security checkpoints in American airports because of that one guy. Almost all, in fact: not those who have TSA PreCheck, and in 2011, those 12 and under and 75 and older were also exempted.
(There was also the Underwear Bomber in 2009; fortunately, no one suggested that passengers remove their underwear at security!)
The DHS explains that the change is made possible specifically by:
- Cutting-edge technological advances
- Multi-layered security strategy
And the stated objectives are to:
- Modernize and improve the traveler experience
- Reduce wait times at checkpoints
Very few other countries in the world had this requirement.
What’s happening with the liquids rule?
Unfortunately, the TSA had also recently announced that they were going to keep the 100 mL liquids rule, until at least 2040!!!
That rule had been announced as being “temporary” in 2006. It’s one of many examples of one of the most famous quotes from another entertainment celebrity turned Republican President, Ronald Reagan: “Nothing lasts longer than a temporary government program!”
Yet, the new scanners should also allow this to be abolished. The DHS says itself that they could already abolish the rule in major airports, but they want to wait for every scanner in every airport in the country to be replaced. At typical government speed, it will take 15 years for that…
They don’t want different rules at different airports. It’s true that A&W’s 1/3 pounder burger failed in the US because many thought it was smaller than a 1/4 pounder (you know, 3 is smaller than 4; duh)…
Kidding aside, I actually get it… having spent a lot of time in airports and airplanes, the average traveler can easily be confused, no matter their nationality. Still, it’s interesting to see the very different approaches to the 2 rules that were initially implemented at the same time.
Fun fact: In the US, you can bring a frozen water bottle. That’s not a liquid. That doesn’t work in Canada.
Liquids, gels, and aerosols up to 2 liters are now accepted at some airports in the United Kingdom, with a nationwide rollout planned for 2025 (delayed from the initial date in 2024, in typical government fashion).
That’s a very promising development. More details to follow on that.
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Summary
The requirement to remove shoes at airport security checkpoints has been abolished by the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), the US agency responsible. This means it will also no longer be necessary in the pre-cleared sections of Canadian airports.
What would you like to know about shoes and airport security? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: TSA checkpoints, USA (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers)
