Hi Guys,
I would just like to update you on a few things that will affect you dedicated fliers.
First, customs lines at major airports are already seeing clogs due to the U.S. federal budget sequester (another reason to get GOES/TSA Pre). According to the U.S Department of Homeland Security the customs lines at major airports have already ballooned up to 200 percent of their normal size.
Travel agencies are being warned to alert our clients to anticipate wait increases at customs lines of up to 50 percent and that gateway airports could begin to see waits of up to four hours. TSA and the FAA are also anticipating similar cuts for personnel at security lines and air traffic control due to the Federal budget freeze of the Sequester. Travelers will likely not see immediate impacts at airport security checkpoints, but lines and wait times will increase.
Second, I hope Delta Points readers are aware that TSA said it will soon allow travelers to bring small knives, golf clubs and hockey sticks into airline cabins for the first time since 2001. These new carry-on allowances will take effect on April 25.
Under the new rules you will be able to bring knives without a molded grip and with blades that don’t lock and are less than 6 centimeters or 2.36 inches; novelty-size and toy bats less than 24 inches long and weighing less than 24 ounces; billiard cues, ski poles, hockey and lacrosse sticks, and two golf clubs as part of carry-on baggage (razor blades and box cutters are not allowed) .
My client today laughed and said he wants all his golf clubs not just two. Somehow, this does not make much sense to me when looking at it from a safety stand point. I do not want to be sitting next to the guy with the small knife, 2 golf clubs or the hockey stick. I think it’s hard enough to get through the airport security without having now to measure the size of knives and the weight of novelty bats.
How did TSA go from confiscating my eye lash curler (yes that really happened to me) reprimanding me having 4 ounces of shampoo to allowing me to sit next to the guy with a knife! I am sure this is not making flight attendants any happier as they now need to figure out how to make room in the overhead for lacrosse sticks. So now, basically, you will now wait in long lines with people carrying small weapons.
from twitter
Until next time! – Tamara
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A small swiss army type knife is not really a weapon. If any knife has a balde that is not lockable I assure you it is very hard to use it as a deadly weapon. Stabbing someone with such a knife will probably injure you more as the blade folds back.
With the right training a key is just as deadly as a small knife and no-one checks your car keys to see if they have been sharpened and made even more deadly.
A rolled-up magazine can be used as a deadly weapon if you know how.
Please understand that banning everything sharp (except keys) was a knee-jerk reaction. Now sanity is returning
Please do not allow this common-sense move to turn into
paranoia
@Alex – well I ( Rene ) 100% disagree that this is paranoia and the Delta FA’s agree this is a dumb choice as does the Delta CEO Richard Anderson.
Being an early responder may be my key! The entire security process is inconsistent and makes no sense.
Sandpaper to my sapphire card (it is metal) would make a usable blade. Plastic credit cards, CDs/dvds would also be usable this way. Mechanical pencils would do far more damage than any small knife. This policy change has brought our a lot of complaining over nor much.
I agree with most here. If you’re really nuts and really want to injure/kill someone, you can already do it with what TSA lets you bring through. I’ve thought of several ways that someone could do such a thing while standing in the security line. Even my dad (who rarely flies) just listed several ways to do so on his recent trip to visit me. I recently had a cork screw confiscated not because of the 3-4 inch corkscrew itself, but rather for the <2" "blade" that is used to remove the PVC wrapper on the bottle. This "blade" isn't sharp at all, and is less harmful than the actual corkscrew itself.
Correction on toy bats: bats CAN be over 24 inches in length IF they are not over 24 ounces in weight. See http://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/assets/pdf/tsa_permitted_items_update.pdf for complete details.
the sequester nonsense and making pepole wait in lines etc
is nuts some government depts do not run out of xxtra$$ till october so how could some of these cuts come even before the SEQ was implemented also does anyone realize
that the obamas(family) travel billwas ove 343 million$$$ last year… the royal family of england altogether only spent 7 million for all travelh