New Carry-On Rules Kick In

Feds Allow Small Scissors, Tools Aboard Airliners Again

(CBS/AP)  Starting Thursday, small tools and scissors are no longer banned from airliners as the Transportation Security Administration implements changes to its passenger screening policy.

TSA administrator Kip Hawley said that explosives pose more of a threat to the public than small scissors and tools and the change will allow screeners to focus more time and attention on keeping bombs off airplanes.

However, Congressmen Edward Markey and Joe Crowley are critical of the change, saying it's now easier for terrorists to attack the nation again. Crowley told reporters that a small screwdriver could be turned into a deadly weapon, simply by sharpening the point.

CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports more flyers will be pulled out for random searches in TSA's effort to be less predictable and do a better job of looking for explosives. This is not expected to create more delays, however, because screeners will be opening fewer bags looking for small items.

"It is paramount to the security of our aviation system that terrorists not be able to know with certainty what screening procedures they will encounter at airports around the nation," Hawley said. "By incorporating unpredictability into our procedures and eliminating low-threat items, we can better focus our efforts on stopping individuals who wish to do us harm."

Among the items no longer prohibited from airliner cabins: scissors 4 inches or less, and tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers that are smaller than 7 inches.

When the planned changes were announced earlier this month, flight attendants and some lawmakers expressed concern that they would undermine security.

Justin Green is an attorney for the families of three flight attendants who died aboard American Airlines Flight 11, which hijackers crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. Two of the flight attendants, Bobbi Arestegui and Karen Martin, were stabbed by the terrorists. The third, Betty Ong, reported what was happening during the hijacking in a telephone call to authorities on the ground.

"The families are outraged that the TSA is planning on letting weapons back on board," Green said.

Airlines generally supported the plan. So did the pilots' largest union, the Air Line Pilots Association, and former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

"I think we need to adjust some of the adjustments that we made right after 9/11, and I think this is a step in the right direction. We get away from weapons and start focusing on potential terrorists," Ridge said. "I think you've embedded enough security along the way that some of these things should be permitted, because it's customary for people to carry them, and I don't think it will enable them to get to the cockpit."

Bob Hesselbein, ALPA's national security committee chairman, said pilots think it's more important to focus on passengers' intent rather than what they're carrying.