Brian Ler on WNYC, two words. Airport security. With those two words, has the routine of it all been

summoned to your mind already? You know the drill, grab a bin, toss your water bottle, take out your laptop.

And if you thought the list was going to end with and take off your shoes,

if it were any other time in the last 20-plus years, you'd be right.

But as of last week, the TSA has decreed that you can keep your shoes on at airports

when you go through security.

No more socks or bare feet shuffling through the scanners.

You can walk right through.

But why the change?

Why now?

Is it safe?

Joining us now, Allison Polly, a reporter covering travel and tourism for the Wall Street Journal,

who's been following this story since the rule was done away with last week.

Allison, welcome to WNYC.

Thanks so much for having me.

Let's start big picture.

Is this for all airports?

This is for all airports, and it's effective immediately.

So summer travelers will not have to take their shoes off for their trips that started last week.

For people who weren't old enough then or just don't remember, why was the shoes off rule

originally implemented? So it all dates back to 2001 when a man named Richard Reed, who became known as the so-called

shoe bomber, attempted to detonate explosives that were in his shoes on a transatlantic

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