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The Transportation Security Administration did not officially start requiring travelers to take off their shoes at the airport until August 2006. That was nearly five years after Richard Reid unsuccessfully tried to ignite explosives in his sneakers on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. The fear of Reid copycats was the ostensible justification for the TSA's seemingly belated shoe rule, which the agency finally ditched last week, nearly two decades after adopting it. The longevity of that widely resented and ridiculed policy, which the U.S. was nearly alone in enforcing, illustrates the ratchet effect at work in security...

For the first time in almost 20 years, travelers may no longer be required to take off their shoes during security screenings at U.S. airports. The Transportation Security Administration is looking to abandon the additional security step that has for years bedeviled anyone passing through U.S airports, according to media reports. If implemented, it would put an end to a security screening mandate put in place almost 20 years ago, several years after “shoe bomber” Richard Reid’s failed attempt to take down a flight from Paris to Miami in late 2001. The travel newsletter Gate Access was first to report...

A great travel miracle has occurred – and the author, who flies frequently and disgruntledly, couldn’t be more thrilled. The TSA will no longer require airline passengers to remove their shoes when going through security. Shoes on/shoes off has been the bane of every commercial airline passenger’s existence since British terrorist Richard Reid attempted to detonate his shoe bomb on a flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001. Since then, it’s been federal policy to X-ray your Nikes and, repulsively, your flip-flops. Either that threat has passed – or maybe it wasn’t ever that much of a threat. Regardless,...

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) entered a social media debate this week by clarifying that the Waffle House IDs possessed by some customers of the popular restaurant will “not suffice” as personal identification for travel. A flight passenger posted a photo on X of his yellow Waffle House ID with the caption, “TSA might want REAL ID, but I have the realest ID.” The post garnered some 2.1 million views, with thousands of reposts and likes. TSA responded to the social post by saying the ID does not comply with federal rules and will not be accepted at security check...

A Transportation Security Administration agent was arrested for allegedly assaulting a 79-year-old passenger at Fort Lauderdale’s airport, with police saying she was “forcefully pushing her,” a report said. Janiyah Wilson-Robinson, 21, of Margate, was taken into custody Wednesday following the incident at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, according to WPLG. The station, citing a Broward Sheriff’s Office arrest report, said Wilson-Robinson attacked the woman from Palm Beach Gardens by “forcefully pushing her,” causing her to fall to the ground and hit her forehead. The passenger, who was at the airport that day traveling on a JetBlue flight, suffered “minor bruising,” deputies...

A Transportation Security Administration agent was arrested for allegedly assaulting a 79-year-old passenger at Fort Lauderdale’s airport, with police saying she was “forcefully pushing her,” a report said. Janiyah Wilson-Robinson, 21, of Margate, was taken into custody Wednesday following the incident at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, according to WPLG.

The TSA is expressing frustrations with travelers who are not providing a proper REAL ID to fly. In a Facebook post Wednesday, the TSA made it known that a Costco membership card is not an acceptable identification. “We love hotdogs & rotisserie chickens as much as the next person, but please stop telling people their Costco card counts as a REAL ID because it absolutely does not,” the TSA wrote in the post. Starting May 7, most adults catching a flight in the U.S. are now required to present either a passport or an upgraded identification card that meets federal...

Flying soon? TSA just banned lithium batteries from checked bags. Here’s what’s allowed and how to pack your electronics the right way. If you’re like me and always pack a portable charger or spare battery for your devices, you’ll want to pay close attention to a new rule that could impact your next trip. The TSA has just banned lithium batteries—including those in power banks and charging cases—from checked luggage. Here’s what you need to know before you head to the airport. What You Need to Know Spare lithium batteries (including power banks and charging cases) are now banned from...

Angry passengers have been left frustrated by the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) enforcement of REAL ID, as "rude and dismissive" agents have been accused of refusing to accept valid forms. As of May 7, state-issued driver’s licenses and IDs that are not REAL ID compliant are no longer accepted as valid forms of identification at airports, and passengers could be prevented from boarding their flights if they do not have an acceptable form of ID...... TSA workers even responded to the poster, claiming that some of their colleagues were struggling to get a grasp of the new rules. "Some of...

The fast-approaching deadline for REAL IDs has many Americans rushing to obtain the important new identification, even as travel issues may lie ahead. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued a press release reminding Americans of the May 7 deadline while also warning of delays. “Passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID compliant and who do not have another acceptable alternative (e.g., passport) can expect to face delays, additional screening, and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint,” the release said. Air travelers at domestic airports will be required to present a REAL ID...

For almost 20 years, U.S. air travelers have been restricted to carrying liquids in 3.4-ounce (100 ml) containers, neatly packed inside a quart-size clear plastic bag - but new TSA technology is set to revolutionize this. The rule was actually a counter-terrorism measure aimed at thwarting attacks using liquid explosives, with 100 ml being the maximum quantity that could explode within an aircraft cabin without causing catastrophic damage. It helped minimize the risk of dangerous substances slipping through security checks unnoticed. However, new computed tomography (CT) scanners capable of analyzing the contents of bottles are currently being installed in America's...

In this week's air travel developments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is working on new procedures for arriving international passengers that would eliminate the need to recheck their bags for a domestic connecting flight, and even end the requirement to submit to another security check; .... two Republican senators introduce a bill to get rid of the TSA; a new survey compares the experiences of TSA PreCheck members with those of nonmembers; Southwest might be worrying about the impact of its business model changes on its bottom line; Denver International relocates check-in facilities for 24 airlines; Portland International gets a...

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced that effective May 7, 2025, all adult U.S. citizens must present a REAL ID-compliant form of identification or a valid passport to board domestic flights and access federal facilities. This enforcement marks the culmination of the REAL ID Act, originally passed in 2005 following the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to enhance the integrity and security of state-issued identification documents. ​ On December 17, 2018, President Trump signed the REAL ID Act Modification for Freely Associated States Act, Public Law 115-323. “If you plan on traveling, we need your help to prevent delays...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is renewing efforts to fully eliminate the Transportation Security Administration, accusing the federal agency of inefficiency and invading travelers’ privacy. Lee, along with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., introduced the Abolish the TSA Act on Thursday, which would dissolve the TSA and establish a separate Office of Aviation Security Oversight to manage airport security. The office would operate completely under the Federal Aviation Administration and transfer security activities and equipment to private companies instead.

What the shell. A Pennsylvania man missed his flight after being caught with a live turtle in his pants while passing through security at a New Jersey airport, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The traveler set off alarms when he walked through the body scanner at Newark International Airport Friday, prompting TSA agents to conduct a pat-down

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it is ending collective bargaining for the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Transportation Security Officers, which has constrained TSA’s chief mission: to safeguard our transportation systems and keep Americans safe.Eliminating collective bargaining removes bureaucratic hurdles that will strengthen workforce agility enhance productivity and resiliency, while also jumpstarting innovation.Making America’s Transportation Networks Resilient Again Gaps in benefit programs, including non-verifiable Family and Medical Leave, are being exploited by a select few poor performers, placing greater burden on TSOs at the expense of American travelers and taxpayers.This includes instances, where a TSO requested...

... Less than one year ago, tens of thousands of TSA employees who are members of AFGE signed a seven-year union contract. Today, the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security announced that “it is ending collective bargaining for the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Transportation Security Officers.” In other words, just tearing up the contract. DHS didn’t even really try to put a fig leaf of legality on this action. The agency said bad things about the union— “The union has hindered merit-based performance recognition and advancement—that's not the American way,” for example—but did not say anything that sounds like a...

During the year 2024, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) discovered 6,678 firearms in the baggage of 904 million people who were screened at TSA checkpoints in the calendar year. This was slightly lower than the 6,737 firearms discovered in 2023 when 858 million people were screened. The rate of people who were found to possess firearms at airport security checkpoints was down from .0000785% to .0000739%, a minor reduction in the tiny percentage of firearms discovered at airport security checkpoints. The reduction amounts to 59 fewer firearms discovered, a bit less than 1% of the total.Given the hundreds of millions...

Air traffic controllers say an FAA “immunity program” fails to hold people accountable for their mistakes, even with deadly consequences. Current and former air traffic controllers warn that the Federal Aviation Administration’s hiring practices and “immunity program” have led to problems, such as those that may have resulted in the recent midair collison near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The FAA’s focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices has resulted in the employment of less qualified air traffic controllers (ATCs) and a staffing shortage, former ATC's say. This, in addition to an “immunity program” that fails to hold...

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg hit back after President Trump criticized the Biden administration and diversity initiatives in the aftermath of a deadly midair collision outside Washington, D.C. “Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch,” Buttigieg said in a post on social platform X. “President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped...