Practically 20 years after airline passengers had been first required to take away their sneakers for safety, the coverage is being phased out.
The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) is planning to permit passengers to maintain their sneakers on after they undergo the final safety line at many main airports throughout the nation, two sources instructed ABC Information.
An surprising memo went out to TSA officers throughout the nation final week stating the brand new coverage will enable all passengers to maintain their sneakers on in all screening lanes at many airports throughout the nation, beginning Sunday.
The purpose is to roll the brand new coverage out to all U.S. airports shortly, based on the memo. Beforehand, solely passengers within the TSA PreCheck line had been in a position to preserve their sneakers on generally.
The transportation company has spent years in search of an modern strategy to enable passengers to maneuver quicker via the safety checkpoints.
Passengers who set off the alarm on the scanners or magnetometers, nevertheless, can be required to take their sneakers off for added screening, based on the memo.
This can be a main shift since TSA started requiring passengers to take their sneakers off in 2006.
The coverage got here 5 years after Richard Reid tried to explode an American Airways flight from Paris to Miami with explosives packed in his sneakers. The explosives didn’t detonate and Reid was held down by fellow passengers and the flight crew.
In a press release, the TSA mentioned, “TSA and DHS are at all times exploring new and modern methods to boost the passenger expertise and our robust safety posture. Any potential updates to our safety course of can be issued via official channels.”
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