Pocket knife vs TSA

[Tom Bender]

We hadn't flown in a few years and forgot some things. My wife carried a tiny multifunction knife in her purse. It had a 1" blade. TSA took it. In my shaving kit I had a pair of scissors. They measured and said "Ok the blades are not over 4" These were both in carry on baggage. In checked luggage the rules are much different. Camping gear (tent stakes, cookware, stoves without fuel) all ok, as are golf clubs and fishing gear. Most kinds of electronics are fine in the cabin and in the hold. I feel much safer with odd rules in place.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I’m completely fine with them keeping knives and sharp objects off planes, but the scissors thing doesn’t make sense. I could do some serious damage with a pair of 4” scissors.

[roger wiegand]

Don't underestimate the political power of the knitters.

Yup, the scissors exception makes no sense.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Not too long after 911, my father in law forgot to leave his cherished Victoranox at home for an international flight out of Boston Logan. He discretely buried it in a potted plant in the airport and retrieved it on his way home. He cherishes his lucky knife even more.

[Stan Calow]

Not too long after 911, my father in law forgot to leave his cherished Victoranox at home for an international flight out of Boston Logan. He discretely buried it in a potted plant in the airport and retrieved it on his way home. He cherishes his lucky knife even more.

What a clever idea! Hats off to him for thinking of that.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Any discussion of TSA always leads me to play the song Airline Agent by James McMurtry.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Not too long after 911, my father in law forgot to leave his cherished Victoranox at home for an international flight out of Boston Logan. He discretely buried it in a potted plant in the airport and retrieved it on his way home. He cherishes his lucky knife even more.

I did exactly the same with my Myerchin Captain’s knife. I buried it outside in the bushes!!! It was there when I got back.

[John K Jordan]

… I feel much safer with odd rules in place.

The old rules: At one time I made numerous trips to a DOE facility in DC. I was software engineering but invariably got asked to pretty please take a look at some hardware problem or another so I always carried a small toolbox with pliers, wire cutters, etc and some common PC parts.

No airline agent ever batted an eye until one trip home when a guard said I couldn’t take the tools on the plane. “What if you take some things apart and damage the plane?" When I promised I wouldn’t he said “OK then, go ahead.”

[Dave Anderson NH]

Many years ago before 911 but after a rash of plane hijackings my wife and I went out climbing in the Tetons. On the way back at airline check in I was forced to remove my 50m x 11mm climbing rope from outside my carryon backpack and somehow force it into my checked luggage. On the same flight another climber was allowed to board the plane with his iceaxe as a walking stick and place it in the overhead bin. Go figure.

[Jerome Stanek]

A friend of mine has pilot neighbors and right after 9 11 they had to go through the same TSA as passengers. The one complaind because they took his small scissors because they were dangerous. He said that made a lot of sense as he was the pilot and if he wanted do cut someone he would just turn around and grab the fire axe.

[Jim Koepke]

Bureaucrats make laws, not sense.

I seldom fly, but I remove my P-38 can opener, screw driver and bottle opener from my key ring when I do.

Key Ring with P-38, screwdriver & bottle opener.jpg

I've had the can opener and screwdriver on that key ring for at least 50 years and the key ring, given to me by my father, for over 60.

One time I put my keys in my checked luggage and the airline lost it for a couple days on my return flight. I couldn't get into my house or drive my car.

jtk

[Karl Andersson]

3 weeks after 9/11 I had to take a trip for work. The airports were still screwed up then, and I probably cut the time too close, so when I checked in it was less than 90 minutes before my flight and the airline wouldn't allow me to check my bag like I always did and I had to carry it through TSA screening. As I was standing in line, I realized I had a Victorinox knife in one outside pocket and a pair of pointy 3-inch scissors for beard trimming in my shaving kit. I thought "oh well, let's see if they notice".

My bag went through the X-ray and I watched the TSA officer. She stopped the belt with my bag inside and stared at her screen, and I could tell she was rewinding or re-looking several times, Then she called another officer. Then they asked whose bag it was as they removed it from the belt and I raised my hand. I was told to stay where I was. A supervisor was called and he conferred with them, then they waved over the State trooper who usually cooled his heels on a high chair at the security exit. They all talked and then came over to me with the bag.

"Sir, do you have any sharp objects in your bag?" I said yes, I think there's a Swiss army knife in that pocket and there are scissors in my shaving kit. "Anything else?" I said well, if you are asking, then there probably is, but I have used this bag for work travel for 15 years and the side pockets might have some old stuff.... "Sir, step over here and keep your hands away from the bag." I am a safety manager, and in those days I did a lot of field inspections, training, onsite assistance, etc., so I had accumulated a variety of pointy things. The TSA went through the whole bag, repeatedly re-scanning to locate the following: Two first aid kits with metal pointy tweezers, one safety promotional pocketknife I had forgotten about from 1996, one metal corkscrew, one 6-inch metal nail file, beard scissors, the Victorinox Knife, one compact Leatherman tool (with knife blade), and just for good measure, a promotional miniature (4-inch) metal pry bar. The supervisor was beside himself that I was trying to bring 9 prohibited items on the plane. Only by showing the government ID I was issued at Ground Zero, my other Government ID, and my explanation that I always checked my bag normally did they de-escalate. They said I could throw it all away or go back and re-book a flight that allowed me to check my bag. I chose the latter and flew 2 hours later, and cleaned out my bag when I got home.

[Derek Meyer]

Last time I flew was 2019, out of Spokane, WA. I remembered to put my keyring, which has a Leatherman Squirt multi-tool, in my checked luggage, but I had a pair of fingernail clippers in my pocket that I forgot about. TSA made me throw them away. I'm not sure how I could hold a plane hostage with a pair of fingernail clippers, but hey.

[Rick Potter]

I have never heard of anyone worried about a simple sharp pencil being use as a weapon. It could be very damaging.

[Sam Force]

Remember "The Godfather" a simple pair of glasses can be deadly in the right hands!!