The Transportation Security Administration will not allow small knives and some sporting good to be brought on planes.
TSA Administrator John Pistole announced that the TSA has reversed its decision after they received months of backlash from flight attendants, air marshals, airlines and officials, USA Today reports.
Pistole announced on March 5 that he wanted to lift the ban on small lives, arguing that it would allow screeners to pay closer attention to explosives and high risk items that could bring down a plane. Small knives and some sporting equipment have been banned since the terrorist attacks on Sept.11, 2001 in which several planes were hijacked.
The TSA was planning to allow knives with blades up to 2.36 inches long, along with golf clubs, hockey and lacrosse sticks. A few days before the new policy was going to go into effect on April 25, Pistole postponed the decision to hear more from airline industry representatives. On Wednesday, Pistole announced that there will be no changes to the prohibited-items list.
Many groups are happy with the decision such as the 90,000-member Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions, which protested the original decision.
"We are so glad that the administrator took the time to review stakeholder input and make a good decision for aviation security," said Sara Nelson, international vice president of the Association of Flight Attendants according to USA Today. "Never again should passengers or crew face a knife in the aircraft cabin. The rule is common sense: no knives on planes."
Sen. Charles Schumer, of New York was also in support of the change of heart.
"This decision will allow TSA agents to focus on more important things than measuring the length of knives and sorting the good knives from the bad," Schumer said.
"We will continue to take steps to improve our ever-evolving security posture while also improving the experience of the traveling public," Pistole said. "Risk-based security enhances the travel experience while allowing TSA to continue to keep passengers safe by focusing on those we know less about."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
