there is a plan b and you can bypass ALL the headaches
On a separate note Delta has valet luggage service where they stow your bag in the overhead for you before start boarding. My carryon is filled to the brim so I gladly accepted this service. I’m sure at some point this will come with fee.
“If the risk is too high to you, wear socks. If you think it’s low (and you’re lazy), don’t. S’all good.”
I do not think you understand the point. It is not the risk, it is the risk times the $$ to remedy the consequences or the time it takes to remedy the consequences.
Would you walk barefoot in a gym locker room?
(BTW, I am not easily grossed out. I have cats. 
)
I just flew out of Burbank. Since I’d driven down I didn’t go thru my normal pre-flight check list and - yup - had a pocket knife in my handbag. I’ve donated at least 6 of these to various TSA checkpoints but this one had sentimental value. The agent suggested I try and have SWA retrieve my bag so that I could put the knife inside the checked luggage. He walked me thru the area and to a shortcut to the SWA counter. I’d checked the bags about 45 minutes prior and still had an hour until flight time. (I know…I get there early).
Well, the SWA agent DID retrieve the bag and I got a smile from Mr. TSA on my way thru the second time.
It’s a very small airport, almost no crowd and people all around seemed friendly. I consider myself lucky because I think I’ll be going in and out of there quite a bit over the next two years.
@dietz99: Wow. Lucky, indeed. Love that story.
I understand perfectly, bunsenburner. I just view the situation differently. That’s okay. You will likely never ever get a foot fungus. I probably wont, but I’ll never be able to be as certain as you. And I take the risk of the expensive and difficult treatment. So be it.
The locker room floor is much worse because it’s so wet so much of the time. Magnitudes of difference IMO. Maybe not to you. Again, you do you. I’ll do me. I tell patients the risks of these kinds of things and they know that your way is freer from a low risk. Don’t worry; I’m not advocating dancing around Security or gyms barefooted! I’m just talking anout what lazy ol’ fungus-free me does. 
Let it go?
My office manager pushed me to pay $30 extra to fly from Palm Beach airport, rather than Fort Lauderdale. PBI is much smaller than FLL, and I haven’t flown much this past year. Still, I’ll fly in my Cole Hann cute sneakers, with gym sox. I guess better safe than sorry.
"Would you walk barefoot in a gym locker room?
(BTW, I am not easily grossed out. I have cats. )"
I walk barefoot from the carpeted part of my gym locker through a tiled area to get to the pool (and vice versa). At yoga, we take our shoes off at the door and put them in cubbyholes so yes, we are barefoot in the locker room and in the yoga studio. Similar for Pilates.
Without being gross, my H has had that foot fungal infection for years and if I haven’t gotten it by now, I think I’m pretty immune.
And to show how relative it all is, as a dog-person, the idea of a cat litter box in my house makes me go “ewwwww” way more than the barefoot stuff!!
I go barefoot in hotel rooms all the time. I know others who only wear footwear there. I wear shoes and socks for all flights, so always have socks on. I have global entry and am rarely required to remove footwear.
Thus far, I have never had any foot problems or fungus.
@MaineLonghorn In reference to your post #77, did you ever get a response to your written complaint? I’m going to guess no, and if so, that is wrong. There should be some accountability within the organization, even if it is a government entity.
doschicos the only thing to probably come form a complaint against the TSA is you mysteriously winding up on the no fly list!
Ok we get it zobroward, you don’t like the TSA.
We just returned from a month long trip and flew 8 times. We never had to take off our shoes to go through security. I was totally prepared with my “airport socks” that I have tucked in my carry on.
@lilmom Was this abroad or in the USA or both?
“Without being gross, my H has had that foot fungal infection for years and if I haven’t gotten it by now, I think I’m pretty immune.”
Interesting. The two times I have put my feet into my husband’s shoes (sneakers) to run out to the car, I suffered horribly from itching which felt like my skin was trying to bubble itself off of my toenails. Hot foot baths, alcohol-laden rags wrapped around my feet, stinky foot creams and finally two weeks of anti-fungal creams to cure it.
Thought it was a fluke the first time. Learned a lifetime lesson the second time. But that is the only point of contact with his feet that has ever caused this problem. He must live with something that causes him no discomfort or irritation that quite frankly would make me want to take a bleach bath.
@doschicos, it was both.
So, does this mean TSA is no longer requiring shoes off at all? Or are those of you reporting no shoes off domestically going through the pre-check line? I haven’t flown in a few months but I hadn’t heard of any policy change. I’m all for a change in that policy, though.
From what I’ve seen on recent flights, all non-pre-check folks domestically are still removing shoes and sometimes for pre-check as well. 
Last month, we flew out of LAX’s international terminal and didn’t have to remove our shoes. Then we flew out of Copenhagen, 3 London airports, Milan, Rome and Barcelona not having to remove shoes,as well. But the month before, we had flown domestically and had to take shoes off.