End of TSA Shoes Off Policy Could Mean Shorter Wait Times for Dallas Travelers

The long national nightmare for air travelers is coming to an end. After nearly 20 years of having to remove shoes in the security screening line at airports, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced it would soon end its shoes-off security policy.

For most of us, it’s impossible to think of airline travel without immediately feeling the panicked rush of trying to get our shoes back on quickly before a line of impatient people piles up behind us along the luggage conveyor belt.

Some travelers out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport late last week were surprised not to have to remove their shoes when traveling during the busy Fourth of July holiday. As it turns out, the TSA sent what ABC News called an “unexpected memo” to TSA officers across the country last week informing them of the policy change.

“The goal is to roll the new policy out to all U.S. airports shortly, according to the memo,” the ABC report noted. “Previously, only passengers in the TSA PreCheck line were able to keep their shoes on in most cases.”

It seems that one key goal is in sight. The ABC report said that the TSA “has spent years looking for an innovative way to allow passengers to move faster through the security checkpoints.”

Quicker airport security lines will be good news for North Texas travelers. Depending on who's counting, DFW Airport ranks from speedy to not great in the amount of time it takes to get through security. Love Field has a well-earned reputation for not exactly being the most efficient airport for getting through security. In 2024, the TSA lines at Love Field in Dallas ranked as the 11th longest nationally, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Although DFW Airport typically has an average wait time of less than Love Field, it doesn't take much for wait times at the gargantuan airport to extend beyond 30 minutes, especially on holiday travel dates.

But let's be honest, the pain of shoe removal at airport lines has always been stressful for more reasons than time: Did you accidentally wear socks with holes? Do I risk footborne diseases if I walk around barefoot? Why do I have to see other people's odd-looking feet? Why do I have to let other people see MY odd-looking feet? Airport security is already stressful enough, what with worrying that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is collecting pictures of your junk from security scanners. (OK, he's not. That was a hoax, but would anyone really have been that surprised if it weren't?)

According to NBC News, “shoe removal has been part of the airport experience since 2006, when the TSA instituted the requirement, citing intelligence indicating a ‘continuing threat’ of explosives. The rule came after Richard Reid tried — and failed — to ignite his homemade shoe explosives on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami on Dec. 22, 2001.”

The policy change has not taken effect at all U.S. airports, at least not yet. However, the shoes-off policy has officially ended at some airports and will be expanded to other airports in the future.

Although we have heard from some travelers that they did not have to remove their shoes at DFW last week, we’re waiting to hear back from both DFW Airport and Love Field to see if they are among the airports that have officially stopped requiring shoes to be removed in their TSA lines. We will update this article with new information when we hear back from the airports.