Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said this week that technical progress in airport screening could soon mean that passengers will no longer have to remove their shoes to get through preflight security. The measure, introduced after Richard Reid tried to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami in 2001, is widely considered one of the most annoying aspects of the current airport screening protocol.
Napolitano offered no time frame for the change, but said it would likely come before regulations can be loosened on transporting liquids in carry-on luggage. “We are moving towards an intelligence- and risk-based approach to how we screen,” she said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Hamas and Fatah sign unity agreement in BeijingSpeed Read China brokered a reconciliation deal between the rival Palestinian factions
-
The Earth just saw its hottest day on recordSpeed Read July 21, 2024 was the hottest day in recorded global history
-
Bob Menendez to resign after corruption convictionSpeed Read The New Jersey senator submitted to resignation pressure following charges of federal bribery and corruption
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attemptSpeed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPBSpeed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion banSpeed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling BiblesSpeed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitnessIn Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
