Knife ban on US flights to be lifted
Pilots, flight attendants and airline chiefs have reacted angrily to a decision to scrap a post-9/11 ban on pocket knives being carried by passengers on US aircraft.
From April 25, travellers will be able to carry small knives with folding blades on US planes following a shift in security strategy by the federal Transportation Security Administration.
TSA chief John Pistole told AFP the new guidelines would bring US security regulations into line with international standards and were designed to help airport staff find more dangerous items such as explosives.
However, in the UK there are no plans to allow passengers to carry knives onboard. The Civil Aviation Authority said UK laws regarding concealed weapons were tougher here than in the US. The ban on pocket knives onboard UK aircraft pre-dates 9/11.
Delta Air Lines chief executive Richard Anderson said if the purpose of the policy switch was to increase security checkpoint flow, "there are much more effective steps we can take together to streamline the security checkpoints with risk-based screening mechanisms".
The Flight Attendants Union Coalition, which represents some 90,000 crew, said its members were "outraged."
"The continued ban on dangerous objects is an integral layer in aviation security and must remain in place," the group said.
The Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations also opposed the move.
"We believe the threat is still real and the removal of any layer of security will put crew members and the flying public unnecessarily in harm’s way," CAPA president Mike Karn warned.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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