It's my favorite kind of official, which is unofficial-official.
Starting July 7, the TSA is reportedly letting travelers keep their shoes on while they go through security. One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Caleb Harmon-Marshall, reportedly a former T.S.A. officer, wrote in his travel newsletter Gate Access that "he had seen a soft launch of the new policy at an airport as well as an internal memo briefing officers about it."
The New York Times has reported that T.S.A has neither confirmed, nor denied it, saying:
"T.S.A. and D.H.S. are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture," a T.S.A. spokesman said. "Any potential updates to our security process will be issued through official channels."
The shoe removal policy went into effect in 2006, after a terrorist tried to detonate an explosive in his shoe in 2001.
So for nearly 20 years, we've all been taking off our shoes when we travel. An entire generation has grown up around this!
It is also definitely something we've noticed in our recent travels, and that the shoe policy has definitely been less consistent than it has been in past years. If anything, I think TSA should come out and say it.
Besides, no one is getting PreCheck for PreCheck anyways.
