Good news, terrorists — the TSA declared yesterday that it will soon be OK to bring small knives, golf clubs and other potential weapons on planes for the first time since the 9/11 attacks.
TSA officials defended the stunning move as a way to speed up security checkpoints with little risk, but flight attendants warned it will put passengers in danger.
“Drunks with knives — fantastic,” said an American Airlines flight attendant at La Guardia Airport. “Who do they think is going to have to disarm one of these guys when they get out of control?
“This just puts me directly in harm’s way.”
The changes kick in on April 25.
Only knives up to 2.36 inches in length and half an inch in width will be allowed — and they cannot lock in place or have a grip.
The TSA will also allow novelty baseball bats, lacrosse and hockey sticks, pool cues, ski poles and up to two golf clubs in carry-on luggage.
Razor blades and box cutters — like the ones used by terrorists to hijack the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center — remain banned.
The Flight Attendants Union Coalition, which has nearly 90,000 members nationwide, said the move is a “poor and shortsighted decision by the TSA.”
“We believe that these proposed changes will further endanger the lives of all flight attendants and the passengers we work so hard to keep safe and secure,” the group said in a statement.
TSA spokesman David Castelveter said the items now allowed represent no real danger to passengers. He said the policy was changed so the agency can “better focus their efforts on finding higher-threat items such as explosives.”
Transport Workers Union Local 556, which represents more than 10,000 flight attendants at Southwest Airlines, partly agreed.
“While we agree that a passenger wielding a small knife or swinging a golf club or hockey stick poses less of a threat to the pilot locked in the cockpit, these are real threats to passengers and flight attendants in the passenger cabin,” the statement said.
Anxious New Yorkers traveling yesterday were irate to hear of the changes.
“You’re still throwing away my shampoo and body wash but people can bring knives on? That’s insane!” fired Jaleesa Cummings, 23, a dancer from The Bronx flying to Dallas.
Brooklyn resident John Maeglin, 52, said, “Having someone with a knife on board definitely makes me nervous.”
“This just adds to the stress,” added Maeglin, a salesman flying to Chicago.
“My only concern is that it will be easier for passengers to mess with equipment like alarms, windows, electrical wires,” pointed out Pierangelo Presti, 28, a business owner from Queens flying out of La Guardia yesterday.
“Scary stuff!”
With Post Wire Services