=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2003/07= /11/MN211798.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, July 11, 2003 (SF Chronicle) Airports getting tougher on feet/Screeners ask everyone to remove shoes -- = and lines speed up Alan Gathright, Chronicle Staff Writer Federal officials have responded to intelligence reports of possible terrorist "shoe bomb" plots by urging airport passengers to remove shoes at security checkpoints -- or risk longer secondary hand-wand searches. While many airport guards have been requesting the shoe removal for months, the Transportation Security Administration said Thursday it is moving to tighten nationwide enforcement of the procedure to avoid security gaps that terrorists could exploit. "Our screeners have always worked hard to make sure a shoe bomb does not get on an aircraft," TSA head James Loy said in a statement. "Now we must make sure our security process is consistent so air travelers know what to expect at every airport in the country." The threat of a suicidal shoe-bomber downing an airliner became chilling= ly evident in December 2001 when an admitted al Qaeda operative tried to ignite plastic explosives packed in his sneakers on a Paris-to-Miami American Airlines flight. Richard C. Reid, a British citizen, failed in his efforts and was restrained by passengers and crew members. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. A TSA statement said the agency's "increased focus on screening shoes in recent months reflects a necessary reaction to information gathered by federal intelligence agencies." "It has been noted that al Qaeda has trained people to make and use shoe bombs, as highlighted by the Richard Reid incident," Loy said. "These are threats that the flying public can only understand and appreciate when they receive clear advice" from airport security officials. As the summer travel season goes into full swing, the new procedures conjure images of lines of fliers juggling footwear and wincing from wafting foot odor. But TSA officials say they've found checkpoint lines move faster when people voluntarily remove their shoes before entering metal detectors. STEEL-SHANKED SHOES Many passengers don't realize that dress shoes have steel shanks that, like steel-toed boots, will trigger metal detectors, Loy said. "We're encouraging passengers to put their shoes through the X-ray machi= ne just because it's going to save them time in the long run," said Nico Melendez, the TSA's West Coast spokesman. "Because if their shoes alarm the (metal detector), they're going to have to go through a secondary screening, which takes more time." San Francisco International Airport screeners have been asking passengers to shed shoes for six weeks, and a security official said it's actually helped speed up the checkpoint flow during peak travel times from about 175 people per hour to 225. While chairs have been added at SFO checkpoints to help passengers remove shoes, "Most people are slipping them off while they're in line," said the security official, who asked to remain anonymous. At Mineta/San Jose International Airport's Terminal A checkpoint Thursda= y, many passengers chose to plop their footwear along with briefcases and jackets in the gray plastic bins on the X-ray conveyor belt. Most said they accepted the precaution as the price they must pay for sa= fe travel in the age of terrorism. But some were irked. UNHAPPY TRAVELER "I was unhappy when I flew out of Ontario (San Bernardino County) this morning and they asked me to take my shoes off," said Kenji Kingsford, a Southern California high-tech executive. "I didn't, because my shoes don't ever set off the metal detector. "But then they said I had to go through the manual inspection. I said, 'Why? The detector didn't go off.' They said, 'Because you didn't voluntarily take them off.' " "I thought they were punishing me for not 'voluntarily' removing my shoes," he said. Bill Wojciak, an Orange County petroleum analyst who flies frequently, said he doesn't wait to be asked. "Anytime I come to the airport, I just take off my shoes. I know the process. I just want to get through," he said. Wojciak said some passengers are irritated that screeners are asking them to shed sneakers, too, when mostly dress shoes and boots were checked in the past. But, he added, "If it's a security concern, then I want to comply. It only takes a minute." Kathleen Drummond, a San Diego business traveler wearing open-toed shoes with low heels, barely slowed down as she rolled through her practiced checkpoint drill. "This is like my fifth flight in the last four days," she said. "If you want to make your flight, you take off your shoes." E-mail Alan Gathright at agathright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 SF Chronicle