Security checks at US airports: Passengers will no longer be required to remove their shoes.

After almost 20 years , we've gotten used to it: arriving at airport security and taking off our shoes , especially when it comes to bulky boots or ankle boots.

But at US airports, this has come to an end: it has been announced that security checkpoints will no longer require passengers to remove their shoes.

And this was confirmed by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

" Great news from the Department of Homeland Security! " Leavitt wrote on social media, sharing a post from a CBS News correspondent who said: "Travelers no longer have to remove their shoes to get through the regular line at TSA security checkpoints at airports."

This announcement ends a rule that has been mandatory at U.S. airports for nearly 20 years .

According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the measure aims to improve the travel experience "while maintaining safety standards" and ensuring people are safe while traveling by plane.

The measure will streamline passenger flows at a time when "many visitors are arriving in the country," and even more people are expected to travel to the United States when the nation's 250th anniversary is commemorated in 2026, the World Cup is held that same year, and the Olympic Games are held in 2028.

On December 22, 2001 , British national Richard Reid was stopped on board an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami while attempting to detonate his sneakers containing an explosive (Reid pleaded guilty to terrorism and other charges and is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in Colorado).

Security measures during boarding became more stringent following the incident, and since 2006, passengers at U.S. airports have been required to remove their shoes during security checks and have them scanned.

Various intelligence reports indicating plans by terrorist groups to use such methods to attack commercial flights led to the mandatory standard being made almost five years later.

But in these two decades, Noem said Tuesday, technology has evolved significantly , allowing this requirement to be modified at all of the country's airports.

"Over these 20 years, our security technology has changed radically. It's evolved. The TSA has changed. Security is now approached from a multi-level government perspective," Noem said.

One final warning: some passengers may still be asked to remove their shoes if additional screening is deemed necessary.

"But generally speaking, the policy will be that each person will no longer be required to do so upon arrival at a checkpoint."

" America's golden age is here . We're excited to make the experience for those traveling through our airports much more welcoming and efficient," he noted.

With information from EFE and AFP