Majority of Travelers Are Against Small Knives and Cell Phones on Flights

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is going to start allowing items such as small knives on planes later this week and according to a new survey, travelers are not in favor of the idea. Passengers are also against others making phone calls inflight.

Travel Leaders Group held a nationwide survey to ask passengers how they feel about the TSA allowed items such as pocket knives with blades less than 2.36 inches, toy bats, two golf clubs, and ski poles in carry-on luggage. They also asked about inlight cell phone use and they found that most travelers are against both ideas. The survey included the responses from 1,788 consumers throughout the United States.

"The results are very clear. Most Americans would prefer the status quo with regard to cell phone use inflight. Because so many planes are flying at near capacity and many passengers already feel a lack of personal space within the airplane cabin, it's understandable that they want to continue to have some amount of peace and quiet whether they are on a short commuter flight or a flight that lasts several hours," stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben in a release.

"Hopefully officials who are studying the idea listen to what the public has to say. The same is true for pocket knives in carry-on baggage. This is a real hot-button issue. The TSA's rationale is that they are aligning their policy to match international rules. International air carriers have different rules for the allowable size and weight of carry-on bags - we don't follow those guidelines. The rationale doesn't make sense when so many consumers and flight crew members are opposed to the idea."

The TSA will start allowing pocket knives and other weapons in carry-on luggage starting April 25. When Travel Leaders asked "Are you in favor of this change or against it?" 73 percent of those polled said they are against allowing pocket knives on planes. According to the survey, roughly 55 percent said they're against all of the items, including pocket knives with blades less than 2.36 inches, toy bats, two golf clubs, and ski poles being allowed on flights. Another 18.2 percent said they were okay with everything but the knives. Surprisingly 23.6 percent said they are okay with any of these items being allowed.

As studies are being done to determine if cell phone use on board is safe, Travel Leaders also asked passengers if they believe cellphones should be allowed on board, however 80 percent said they are against passengers making phone calls during a flight. About 48 percent said they were opposed to it and 31.3 percent said they're okay with cell phones as long as they're not used for conversations. Just 10.7 percent said they were in favor of it and another 10 percent said they didn't know how they felt.

This is the fifth year that Travel Leaders held a travel survey. They gained many of their responses predominantly through social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as through direct contact with travel clients for the following Travel Leaders Group companies: Nexion, Results! Travel, Travel Leaders, Tzell Travel Group and Vacation.com.