Follow up: the TSA's new shoe ruling
Our recent post on the TSA's new recommendation for shoes has garnered plenty of comments from you, the flying public (nearly 100 and counting). Many thanks to those who have shared their experiences.
Overall, the comments paint a picture of inconsistency at U.S. airports—some of you said you heard nothing from screeners about taking your shoes out of the bins, others said the recommendation was enforced as a rule.
UPDATE JUNE 19: The TSA has responded to our reader comments. Click here.
Art K wrote in to point out that new rules often "require a rather substantive bureaucratic process to put in place" and "Federal Security Directors at each airport often tend to do their own thing, lending a lot of inconsistency to the process."
There were many comments from travelers who have been to Europe, including this anecdote from Elizabeth:
"Last summer we flew to Italy and my husband started to remove his shoes. The security guard stopped him with this comment and a smile on his face, 'you don't have to remove your shoes, sir. You aren't in the United States here.'"
I flew into and out of Seattle a few weeks ago and wasn't asked to put my shoes on the conveyor belt. But Bobby had a different experience recently:
"Flying out of SEA there are signs taped to the conveyor belts that look like they are fresh off the computer printer and say 'you may not place shoes on the belt.' At the same time, the TSA agents were telling the crowd that shoes must go directly on the belt."
And it looks like Eunice was one of the first affected by the change in Chicago:
"I flew out of Chicago O'Hare on 5/14 and it was announced while I was in the security line that it was a new rule all shoes must be placed directly on the conveyor belt. Apparently it was a very new rule as people ahead of us in line were able to put their shoes in a bin."
Have a different experience? Feel free to share it in the comments. (Airport security: A new ruling on shoes)
