Travelers no longer required to take off shoes for security at US airports

TSA ends screening check in place for almost 20 years after Richard Reid's failed attempt to take down flight in 2001

For the first time in almost 20 years, travelers are no longer required to take off their shoes during security screenings at US airports, Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland Security secretary, announced on Tuesday.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has abandoned the additional security step that has for years bedeviled anyone passing through US airports, according to media reports.