TSA ending requirement for travelers to remove shoes at some airports

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is ending its requirement for travelers to remove their shoes at airports nationwide.

Two sources familiar with the change confirmed it to CBS News on Monday, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the change in a news conference on Tuesday.

“TSA will no longer require travelers to remove their shoes when they go through our security checkpoint," Noem said. “We’ve evaluated the equipment that every airport has and are fully confident with the no shoes policy that we still have the security needs in place at every checkpoint."

Noem said the change will not impact travelers who are directed to undergo additional screenings.

Travelers who have TSA PreCheck are already not required to remove their footwear. PreCheck travelers must submit an application and go through a clearance process with TSA.

Sources told CBS News that the change appears to be a phased approach, and the first airports that will no longer require shoes to be removed include Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina, and Portland International Airport.

CBS News correspondents at New York City's LaGuardia Airport and Los Angeles International Airport reported Monday night that they and other passengers didn't have to take off their shoes.

TSA told CBS News on Monday that the agency and the Department of Homeland Security "are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture."

The requirement to remove shoes was implemented by TSA nationwide in 2006.

The rule's official adoption was several years after Richard Reid, a British man who would come to be known as the "shoe bomber," attempted to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoe in December 2001. He failed to detonate the explosives, and the plane landed safely in Boston after passengers helped subdue him.