TSA Could Implement Knife Policy without Warning
Flight Attendant advocacy, public outcry and congressional scrutiny led to the TSA announcing a delay for implementation beyond the original April 25, 2013 date. This is a welcome reprieve, but all indication from TSA and DHS is that we will only experience a temporary delay while the agency works to “properly communicate” its position. Janet Napolitano testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Homeland Security following the delay announcement and stated, “I wouldn’t say that [Pistole] has reopened the ultimate conclusion.”
You can make a difference by calling Congress.
When you call your Senators and Representatives state:
“My name is _______ and I’m a Flight Attendant and constituent. I oppose the TSA plan to allow knives in the aircraft cabin. Please support bipartisan legislation to keep knives out of the aircraft cabin. Transportation security does not stop at the cockpit door. Flight Attendants and passengers are not acceptable casualties in aviation security. Our country owes it to those we lost on 9/11 and all of us on the frontlines of aviation today – no knives, ever again. Thank you.”
Our objection is simple – allowing knives makes us less safe and secure: no knives, ever again. In cases where common sense is not enough and where Pistole’s arguments must be countered, present these three key points:
1) Permitting knives in the cabin is an unnecessary risk to the traveling public and violates the Administrator’s duty—as set out by Congress. Knife companies are already advertising “TSA Approved” knives that can be bought with hardened blades for use as a weapon in the cabin. Dismissing the risk to passengers and crew will have dire consequences. Both TSA and DHS state the rule change is predicated on a risk-based analysis. The problem is that TSA is failing to apply a risk-based analysis to the passenger cabin and that is where this rule change to lift the ban on knives is fatally flawed. Administrator Pistole has plainly communicated to Congress that his job is “to ensure the safety and security of the traveling public by preventing catastrophic terrorist attacks.” But Pistole is unwilling to accept his responsibility for protecting the traveling public and flight crews. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act mandates that the Administrator “protect passengers…against an act of criminal violence or aircraft piracy,” and to “ensure the safety and integrity of…all persons providing services with respect to aircraft providing passenger air transportation.”
2) Contrary to the Administrator’s assertion that he is merely aligning U.S. security standards with international standards, there is no uniform international standard governing knife size on board the aircraft. While the European Union allows small knives on board flights, Canada, Israel, and Taiwan do not. As recently as April 25, 2011, there was an incident on Alitalia where a Flight Attendant was assaulted by a man with a small knife. Further, the United States has traditionally implemented more restrictive security procedures and standards than the international community.
3) Restricting a certain knife size, in lieu of a complete ban on knives, is less efficient and will likely result in longer lines at the airport security checkpoint. In fact, when removing certain small scissors and tools from the prohibited items list, TSA had similarly asserted that TSOs would be better able to focus on higher risk items. Upon review, however, the Government Accountability Office concluded that there was no evidence that the change would “free up TSO resources that could be sued to implement other security measures.” GAO-07-623R (Apr. 25 2007). The GAO has reached the same conclusion in two additional reports. GAO-07-634 (April 2007); GAO-09-177R (Dec. 5 2008).
TSA Administrator Pistole has indicated that only an act of Congress will change his position on removing knives from the prohibited items list. This is why we continue to press for H.R. 1093, The No Knives Act of 2013, in the House, and companion legislation in the Senate.
Read MoreNo Knives, Ever Again Rally
Flight Attendants held a press conference and rally on April 24, 2013 at Washington National Airport, continuing to fight against the TSA’s now delayed plan to allow knives on planes.
We Cannot Weaken Our Security – Especially Now
Our country is battling terrorism as we send this, yet Administrator Pistole is still planning to weaken our aviation security by allowing knives in our aircraft cabins.
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You Can Make a Big Difference
You can make a difference by calling Congress.
When you call your Senators and Representatives state:
“My name is _______ and I’m a Flight Attendant and constituent. I oppose the TSA plan to allow knives in the aircraft cabin. Please support bipartisan legislation to keep knives out of the aircraft cabin. Transportation security does not stop at the cockpit door. Flight Attendants and passengers are not acceptable casualties in aviation security. Our country owes it to those we lost on 9/11 and all of us on the frontlines of aviation today – no knives, ever again. Thank you.”
Respect the Lessons of our Past – No Knives
Rebecca Marchand, lost her husband, United Flight Attendant Alfred Marchand who was murdered on flight 175. This week Rebecca came to Washington DC for the first time in her life to spend the week talking with members of Congress and asking them to stop the TSA from allowing knives back on planes. The least we can do is back her up, honor her husband’s memory and take a few minutes to call our representatives in Congress.
“The attacks in Boston prove once again that we can’t be selective in our vigilance. We must guard against all threats, big and small,” Marchand writes to TSA Administrator Pistole. “As the wife of a Flight Attendant killed on 9/11, and the mother of a Flight Attendant who flies today, I have earned the right to say this: Knives have NO place on an airplane.
Read more about Rebecca’s plea to TSA and Congress: http://bit.ly/17xhaG0
www.NoKnivesOnPlanes.com
No Knives – Call Congress Now
Knives back on planes? We all hear the plea for keeping shoes on and shampoo in the carry-on, but who ever asked for knives? This week we got our answer. The knife lobby, representing a group of knife manufacturers, gloated that their efforts to lobby the TSA for years finally “paid off” and they were “instrumental” in getting the TSA to change the policy. They even posted a picture from September 2012 where they were entering the TSA Headquarters near our country’s Capitol to speak with directly with TSA. They further gloat about the call from TSA to inform them of the policy change before it was announced publicly. Now they are on Capitol Hill fighting us. So the TSA policy change is not about aviation security and it’s certainly not about the safety of crewmembers or the traveling public – it’s about corporate interests and their paid lobbyists.
We have to make sure knives are not allowed back on our planes. At great cost, we know the danger of lifting the ban on knives.
But, knives WILL be allowed in our aircraft cabin on April 25, 2013 if we don’t fight back now. TSA Administrator Pistole has said the only way he will back down is if Congress makes him. We need to flood Congressional offices with calls right now and every day until we achieve a law that ensures No Knives, Ever Again!
Dial (202) 224-3121 and ask the Capitol switchboard operator to connect you with your Representative.
When you call state:
“My name is _______ and I’m a Flight Attendant and constituent. I oppose the TSA plan to allow knives in the aircraft cabin. I would like my (Representative/Senator) to support bipartisan legislation to keep knives out of the aircraft cabin. Transportation security does not stop at the cockpit door. Flight Attendants and passengers are not acceptable casualties in aviation security. Our country owes it to those we lost on 9/11 and all of us on the frontlines of aviation today – no knives, ever again. Thank you.”
Your phone call will be answered by a member of the Representative’s staff who will note your request. They may ask for the name of your hometown, your zip code or your mailing address to verify you are a constituent.
The entire nation is watching this issue. We are leading the national debate on aviation security. Let’s show everyone that Flight Attendants will not back down. This will have lasting implications for every issue we face. The time is now to demonstrate the strength we have by taking action together. No Knives, Ever Again.
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