TSA to Allow Small Knives Onboard Aircraft Again


In an announcement at an aviation conference in New York, TSA administrator John Pistole said that effective April 25 the TSA was is lifting its ban on small knives in the cabin. It wasn't entirely clear for sure what small knives, exactly, would be allowed, because there wasn't a lot of specificity to what Pistole said, or at least what was reported on various news sites.


Pistole said that the allowable knives will be limited to "retractable blades shorter than 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) and narrower than 1/2 inch at the widest point." We're guessing that by "retractable" he meant "folding." Still prohibited would be "knives with locking blades or molded handles," Pistole said. While "locking blades" is a straightforward, if irrational, discriminator, it isn't at all clear what he meant by "molded handles."


He also said razor blades and box cutters would still be banned. Citing the 9/11 terrorists that used box cutters to kill flight attendants on the aircraft they hijacked, "there is just too much emotion involved with those," Pistole said.


Also, citing concerns raised by U.S. pilots, flight attendants and Air Marshals, certain types of small knives used primarily for hunting or as weapons will also continue to be prohibited. Again, it isn't at all clear what that means, but it sounds like an entirely subjective, and again irrational, standard that will likely include features like serrated blades or any blade style that appears "aggressive" to a TSA screener, at a guess. It will no doubt take a while for all involved to figure out where the line is between permitted and prohibited.


Pistole said allowing these items onboard would align the U.S. with ICAO and European standards and allow screeners to focus on the highest priority threat, non-metallic explosive devices. Since we have reports of passengers being allowed onboard in Europe with locking blade folders, we're still not clear how "aligned" this ends up being.


At this point, our assumption is that what they intend to allow are keychain sized knives like the Victorinox Classic and Wenger Esquire Swiss Army Knives or Leatherman Squirt or Style multi-tools. Victorinox and Leatheman have lobbied the TSA for many years for this exemption and it appears they final succeeded. Congratulations!


While hardly entirely rational in nature, it is a step in the right direction and one virtually all knife carriers will celebrate.