Flight Attendants Protesting Change in Homeland Security Policy on Knives

Passengers will be allowed to bring short-bladed knives inside cabins

WASHINGTON, April 22 (UPI) -- A policy change by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security allowing short-bladed knives on airline flights is being protested by flight attendants.

The opposition was voiced through the Coalition of Flight Attendants, which represents 90,000 flight attendants around the country.

Comments

[UnCivilServant]

I vote we permit long bladed knives as well. It's impossible to cut through a reinforced cockpit door with a pocket knife.

[Steve G]

Status quo is a like a warm blanket...

[dantheserene]

I recently saw the local CBS news do a story (it was on a monitor at the gym?it wasn't my fault)on flight attendants handing out flyers to travelers about the proposed changes. The most obvious detail on the flyer was the prominent use of a picture of a Buck 110. A 110's blade is about twice as long as the proposed limit and it locks, so the knife they showed will not be permitted on at least two counts. Nothing like a little FUD in the dialog. I turned the sound on long enough to notice that the report did not point these errors out, but simply repeated them.

[Adamsmith1776]

If you ban knives on planes, only criminals will have knives. Quite frankly, I would feel a lot more comfortable if I could have my good old standard swiss army knife on the plane so if a potential highjacker pulls out his knife, we have a planeload of armed passengers to go after him and to protect the attendants. A well armed society is a polite society after all.

[L13]

I'd go further, I'd require every able bodied male between the age of 16 and 65 to carry a knife with a blade at least 4 inches long in order to get on the damn plane!

Yes, I'm quite serious.

Yes, I'm an old fashioned male chauvinist too!