TSA Delays Knives On Planes

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TSA Delays Knives On Planes

By Shane Nolan

April 23, 2013 – In the face of a huge backlash from Flight Attendants, nearly every other stakeholder in aviation and the public, the Transportation Security Administration on Monday postponed its plan to allow knives on US flights starting Thursday, April 25. But the 90,000 member Flight Attendants Union Coalition, which has opposed the TSA's ill advised plan from the start, remains resolute: No Knives on Planes Ever Again.

The United States has banned all knives from commercial flights since the September 11, 2001, attacks for good reason, knives were the terrorists' weapons of choice in bringing down four jetliners and murdering thousands of Americans.

All knives should be banned from planes permanently. If the TSA wishes to explore a drastic departure from this logical, 11-year-old policy, it must comply with the rule-making requirements that it should have observed when it first announced its decision to allow knives on planes on March 5.

Like any agency, before TSA changes a rule it is legally required to issue a notice of rule-making, to allow all interested parties the opportunity to submit comments, and to fairly consider that input. If those procedures are followed, we have no doubt that the Administrator will conclude that knives have no place on our planes and will leave the rule barring “weapons” in place.

The Coalition is working diligently with members of Congress; Congressmen Ed Markey (D-MA) and Michael Grimm (R-NY) as well as Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on legislation to permanently keep knives off planes. “We thank these sponsors for their support on this critical security issue and urge Congress to act swiftly. In the wake of the horrific and as-yet-unsolved Boston terrorist bombing last week, now is not the time to weaken security and let down our guard”.

Rep. Michael G. Grimm said “From day one, I adamantly opposed the TSA’s decision to lift the knife ban, and have aggressively fought in Congress to reinstate it. We are faced with the realities of a post- 9/11 world, and must act accordingly. The TSA’s decision to lift the ban was not only hastily made, but will jeopardize the safety of passengers and flight crews at a time when we should be adding extra protections.

“Today’s announcement to allow the key stakeholders to weigh in especially after Administrator Pistole assured me personally they already did is a step in the right direction and something that should have been done before the ruling was made. As this process moves forward, I urge the TSA to listen carefully to those weighing in, and to rule in a way that makes safety the number one priority.” Rep. Grimm has been a leader on this issue, and has introduced the “No Knives Act” with Rep. Markey, which would reinstate the ban.