Monday, April 22, 2013

Woot! 'Knives on planes' delayed



Politico has the good news:
The Transportation Security Administration has called an abrupt halt to its new policy allowing pocket knives on board planes, following a month and a half of criticism from lawmakers and flight attendants. 
The policy, which had been set to take place this Thursday, drew renewed scrutiny following last week’s bombings in Boston. But TSA Administrator John Pistole offered no specific reason for the delay, which he announced in an email to employees Monday.
The Teamsters, who represent about 80,000 commercial airline employees, strongly opposed letting knives on planes. General President Jim Hoffa said last month:
Since the horrific 9/11 terror attacks, the ban on dangerous objects in the aircraft cabin has helped make our nation’s airline industry the safest in the world. This ban has been and continues to be an integral part of our nation’s aviation security system, ensuring the safety of both passengers and crew members. We call on the TSA to reverse this decision. 
Knives don’t belong in the aircraft cabin. The Teamsters will fight to make sure dangerous objects stay out of our skies and we’ll continue working with our allies, including the Coalition of Airline Pilots Association, which has also come out forcefully against this dangerous decision.
The Teamsters have been committed to supporting the public campaign against the new TSA policy. The Teamsters union is a proud member of the 90,000-strong Flight Attendants Union Coalition leading that campaign.