No one should ever have to remove their shoes without a very good reason. I hope Congress gets rid of the TSA!

Posted By Phil on June 4, 2009, 4:18 PM

I flew out of O'Hare on May 19th, and they made us put shoes on the belt, but there was no signage. The coworkers I was traveling with were not told to put their shoes on the belt. On the return trip from SFO the next day, none of us had to put our shoes on the belt.

Posted By Megan on June 4, 2009, 4:28 PM

The TSA has outlived any usefulness it might once have had. It's time for some major overhauling, or even total elimination of this bureaucratic mess. I (a 70-year-old female) recently flew STL-BDL and one of the pompous "agents" demanded that I empty the contents of my carryon bag AND my purse. He then confiscated an emery board! NOT a metal nail file, mind you.....an emery board. I have no idea what sort of threat he perceived from this. If there can't be sensible, understandable, and consistent rules, then the TSA needs to go.

Posted By jk1939 on June 4, 2009, 7:36 PM

Just back from Boston, Mass... followed airport signage and placed shoes directly on belts and all other carryons in bins.

Posted By O.R. on June 5, 2009, 9:54 AM

The TSA is a major deterrent to travel on any airline. New screening methods make them obsolete.
It will give a much added boost to our airlines if this inconvenience is removed at once.

Posted By Paul D. Weatherford on June 5, 2009, 11:19 AM

Considering things like the recent Air France crash TSA money might save more lives by checking the planes service records instead of passengers

Posted By Ed on June 8, 2009, 11:27 AM

In these times good security is important at the airport..however there are better methods than the 'often rude' variations on variations of so called rules imposed on airline passengers. The expected billion dollar loss by airlines this year is partially due to less passengers which is partially due to the hassels ( not just security, but by the airlines) in trying to fly thesedays. The shoe business is just one example.

Posted By Malcolm Neal on June 8, 2009, 11:32 AM

Thanks to everyone who has commented.

@Ed, to be fair to the TSA, our homeland security agency is not responsible for aircraft maintenance. That's the FAA's job. And the Air France plane was not in U.S. airspace.

Posted By Blog editor on June 8, 2009, 11:53 AM

My husband and I just recently flew out of CLE and Las Vegas. Both airports had us place our shoes on the belt. Guess it's catching on...

Posted By Gretchen on June 8, 2009, 12:18 PM

Just went thru TSA Security at Orange County, Cal. and BWI last week. Put my shoes in a bin both times rather than directly on the belt. No issues either place. So, it all seems very random.

Posted By Boogity Boogity on June 8, 2009, 1:30 PM

Every airport I've been in for the past month has directed me to put shoes on the belt, although the signs say it's optional. I've had some problems with shoes getting caught by the flaps and rollers, so be careful to put a suitcase before them and a bin after them to help the shoes flow through.

I've forgotten to remove my toiletry ziploc from my tote three times, and never been called on it--even when the screener threw out a water bottle that was in the same tote bag. My son reports the same, so maybe that's no longer the issue that it once was.

(No, I'm not deliberately obstructive. Not everyone is at their best when flying! Sometimes people are on their way to funerals, not vacations....)

Posted By Glenda on June 8, 2009, 1:40 PM

While traveling through Nadi, Fiji in March we had to go out of security and back through. I am always wanned because of knee replacement but this time they were also looking at my backpack. Now this had been through security in Orlando and again in LAX with no problems. After scanning the pack twice the agent brought it over to me and started to look through it. In the side pocket she found a 2oz bottle of hand cleaner half full and informed me it had to be in a plastic bag. Luckily I had a plastic bag with some other things in it and I put it in there and she was happy. It is one of the more stupid thing I have seen a security agent, don't know what they are called in Fiji, do.

Posted By jean on June 8, 2009, 1:44 PM

I used to BE a Supervisor for TSA and let me tell you the TSA workers are JUST as confused as the flying public. Daily we would receive NEW and completely changed 'rules' to follow. Most of the workers are on their feet 10 + hours a day, with few breaks. Everyone is underpaid and overworked, tired and hungry. Then they have to deal with people calling them names and more...once the public has abused them, their bosses abuse them verbally. So generally there should be major changes, but security on the whole is a necessary thing in all airports. The problem is that the U.S. Gov't replaced all the agents with a great work ethic, education and intelligence and replaced them with lower paid workers. So it is right back to what it was before we all freaked out after 9/11! That's just my opinion after having been on both sides of the checkpoint. Thanks

Posted By Moi on June 8, 2009, 1:52 PM

Just back from Seattle, you had to remove your shoes and put them on the conveyor belt, not in bin. Also they used a jewelry loop to check our passport. They were checking licenses the same way. They made sure our boarding passes had the same name as ID. I have never seen this done before. We came back from the Caribbean a month ago and they just looked at our face and compared to our passport.

Posted By stella on June 8, 2009, 1:58 PM

Hearing this nonsense makes me glad I do most of my flying within Europe instead of the US. At the very least I usually don't have to remove my shoes, and they tend to be more relaxed about the ridiculous liquid rules. Plus I am allowed to lock my checked bags!

Posted By Jul on June 8, 2009, 2:11 PM

I am handicapped and getting through security is always a challenge. Taking off my shoes is a difficult task. They never have any chairs or benches for people like me to use to take off our shoes so we hold up the line and cause a bottle neck. It is embarrassing to say the least. Then on the other side of the belt they may have one chair that must be hobbled to for putting shoes back on. All the while trying to grab your things and make sure you don't forget an item. If they want us to take off our shoes please help make the process a better experience.

Posted By Kate on June 8, 2009, 3:42 PM

For all the reasons well expressed above, that flying is no longer ANY 'fun'--after many years of traveling, am finding the joy of train travel and now use as often as allowed for the itinerary.... NO: TSA checkthru; scrutiny of carry-on, rude patdown/wand scan; nor xray walk-thru while holding boarding pass; and
I remain fully dressed, having checked my locked bag at no charge, (delivered to me at destination completely intact and on time); and
as I'm a senior--extremely low fare, plus dining car (nominal charges for selected food/drink) and LOTS of LEGROOM/comfy seat and large enough lavatory not to bump my head on the door while holding on thru turbulence. Try it, you might like the lack of hassel.

Posted By nj parker on June 8, 2009, 4:39 PM

upon leaving Dulles in DC they confiscated a 4 oz bottle of cream I had just purchased at a great On Sale price in the Gift Shop. I can understand liquid but do they really believe one extra ounce of cream could create a disaster?? More people would fly if they would change some of the stupid regulations.

Posted By rcourten on June 8, 2009, 5:40 PM

Complain all you want. I'd rather they check EVERYTHING I and others have in our carryons vs. letting someone board with a dangerous item or weapon. Shoes on or off the belt!!!... who cares, just let them scan them. As for different requirements on different flights--they may have an eye on someone on their "special" list--deal with it. Finally, if you can't face the required security checks with a smile on your face, take a car!

Posted By grammy on June 8, 2009, 6:09 PM

Just came back from round trip Miami - Puerto Rico. My mom is almost 80 years old. She walks with a cane and was taken through the airport in a wheelchair. TSA made her remove her keds and since she couldn't walk thru the scanner because she has a pacemaker, they frisked her for 10 minutes before departing Miami. On the return, when she was leaving her room on the cruise ship, she remembered she had a can of soda that she wanted have during our 4 hour wait at the airport, so she threw it in her carry-on. They went through her bag at TSA screening and tossed the unopened can of soda. They did not say anything about her larger than 3 ounce tube of hand cream or her opened bottle of Afrin nasal spray, neither of which was in a quart size baggie.

Posted By jt on June 8, 2009, 8:49 PM

So sick of the TSA and its minions.
Has anyone a clue as to what the different "color" alerts are, or what they mean to the traveling public?
The suggestion above about taking a train sounds both dignified and relaxing.
What a different travel experience that would be!

Posted By sp on June 9, 2009, 7:24 AM

TSA is a rude, worthless, nasty group of overpaid jerks who enjoy wielding their power to harass travelers. Inconsisitency is not the issue. Arrogance and stupidity is!

Posted By Warren A. Seitz on June 9, 2009, 10:41 AM

Interesting, this new rule about shoes on the belt.

I travel weekly on USAir. I have gone through security at JAX, BDL and DCA (National in DC).

At no time have I ever been instructed to put my shoes directly on the belt for scanning.

So now I guess it's safe to say the ever-changing rules are, at best, inconsistently enforced.

Is it any wonder no one wants to fly anymore? We would not allow this stuff from any other business - why from TSA?

I agree things should be scanned but at-will rules just make no sense. One set of rules for everyone, everywhere.

Posted By B2H on June 11, 2009, 2:31 PM

I travel all the time, close to Platinum ytd on Delta.

I don't see what the big deal is. Take off your shoes. Take out your toiletries. Take out your frustrations on the scumbags who tried to kill people on planes by sneaking aboard explosives, not the poor TSA workers.

What a bunch of whiners!

Posted By mhm on June 12, 2009, 2:43 AM

What would a comment page be without a couple of "goody twoshoes" to chide all of us for complaining when we feel that we are participating in a useless charade like the TSA checkpoints? Has anyone carrying anything really dangerous EVER been caught in a pair of shoes or one of those little bottles? No--all of these stupid rules were put in AFTER some kind of rumor, or in the case of the dolt who tried to set off his shoes with matches!! Some of us just don't feel we are doing our part if we don't have to suffer, or if someone isn't persecuting us! The rest of us are just irritated by the irrationality of the whole process. All of us have worked with "grammy" and "mhm" types,so we recognize the "martyrs" when we see their comments.

Posted By gwenk on June 13, 2009, 9:26 PM

Just flew out of JFK on 6/14/09 Had shoes in a bin, guard said I was an experienced traveler. This was at the NWA terminal.

Posted By don grant on June 16, 2009, 7:57 AM

We just returned from Seattle and we placed our shoes in a bin but the TSA agent did say the shoes could not be obstructed in the bin???

Posted By Stephanie on June 16, 2009, 9:10 PM

I have knee implants in both legs and I travel by air very often. I am always subjected to very invasive, time consuming wanding and pat downs by the TSA in the US after being held in a glassed in holding cell till a male screener is available. I just returned from Rome to Newark last Sunday and was screened very thoroughly, promptly and discreetly by a security agent at FCO. The whole process took about 30 seconds and I was on my way.

Posted By Steve on June 17, 2009, 8:59 AM

Firstly, I'm not sure what the TSA is really doing. Let me say that one fine flying day in TN I was going from there to NY but as an international student I had my passport. To my utter amusement and the German couple behind me the TSA agent spent 5 minutes analyzing my passport and then asked "WHAT is Trinidad?" - No...I wasn't offended, I'm WAY past that. I looked at him, smiled and said "A country, in the Caribbean...off the coast of Venezuela." No..see, I'm OKAY with explaining to people where I am from and all that but to ask WHAT my country is...then I am concerned about the education that the TSA people are obtaining because it obviously did not include "Countries of the world 101". The German couple thought it was amazing because they HAD actually been to my homeland for Carnival once.

As for the shoes, I wear flats and expect nothing and everything. I can't keep up anymore.

Posted By Rachael S. on June 18, 2009, 3:05 PM

I've flown several times since the policy was "changed" in May and it's inconsistent. By the way, putting my shoes directly on the conveyor is a pain (and ridiculous) as they don't 'slide' with my other luggage/laptop and changing policies for no compelling reason just adds to the inconvenience of flying. Not to mention I've heard TSA agents give at least three different explanations for the change to their customers which tells me these people are not on the same page. Of course, there's always the ready standby "because I told you to" that they seem to enjoy using.

Posted By Mark on June 23, 2009, 1:39 PM