Jul 8, 2025 - News

Shoes can now stay on at Sea-Tac Airport security checkpoints

Melissa Santos

A view of a security checkpoint with people entering the lines preceding the checkpoint and people with luggage walking toward the checkpoint, with an escalator at left and an upper level that is open. — The new procedure has been in place at Sea-Tac since Monday. Photo: Courtesy of the Port of Seattle

Travelers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport can now keep their shoes on while they pass through security — no PreCheck required.

Why it matters: Passengers stopping to remove their shoes at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints can slow down lines — and most people would rather skip walking through airports in socks or bare feet, even briefly.

What's happening: The new procedures have been in effect at Sea-Tac since Monday morning, airport spokesperson Perry Cooper told Axios.

On Tuesday afternoon, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the shoes-on policy will take effect at airports nationwide.

The big picture: This is the first time in about 20 years that general passengers can keep their shoes on, Axios' Josephine Walker reports.

What they're saying: "We expect this change will drastically decrease passenger wait times at our TSA checkpoints," Noem said in a news release Tuesday.

Flashback: The TSA started the shoes-off rule at airport security checkpoints in 2006, according to CBS News. This was five years after the 9/11 attacks and a 2001 incident when a man tried to set off explosives hidden in his shoes on a flight, but was stopped by passengers and crew.

Zoom out: Passengers willing to pay $78 every five years for TSA PreCheck have been able to keep their shoes on for years, and nearly always wait less than 10 minutes, per the TSA.

The bottom line: The next time you fly, you don't have to worry about ease of shoe removal — or the state of your socks.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

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Shoes can now stay on at Sea-Tac Airport security checkpoints

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