New TSA Rules Allow Passengers To Bring Small Knives Aboard Planes
By Jim Melwert
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A change is coming to the TSA's restrictions on what you can bring onto a plane. Still no water bottles, but effective next month, they will allow certain kinds of knives.
The new rules will kick in April 25th. Knives can be up to 6 centimeters in length (2.36 inches) they can't lock and can only be a half-inch wide.
The union representing 90,000 flight attendants says it plans to fight the rule change. Flight attendant Veda Shook says she can't believe knives will be allowed back on planes after lessons learned on 9-11:
"Just doesn't make any sense. We've been fine without knives onboard for a decade now and to reintroduce knives onboard an airplane makes zero sense."
The TSA rule change will go into effct April 25th, it will also allow novelty-sized and toy bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks and two golf clubs.
The TSA says it's all part of as they put it, "an overall Risk-Based Security approach" which allows Transportation Security Officers to better focus their efforts on finding higher threat items such as explosives.
