and Transportation Security Act, which was signed into law in November 2001. According to the Act, the function of the TSA is to secure all modes of transportation. This is reflected in the following statement from its website:
“Today, more than a decade since
its creation, TSA has grown and evolved yet remains committed to its mission. The agency employs a risk-based, intelligence-driven, multi-layered strategy to secure U.S. transportation systems, working closely with stakeholders in aviation, rail, transit, highway, and pipeline sectors, as well as the partners in the law enforcement and intelligence community.” (“September 11, 2001 and TSA.” Web. 17 March 2013)
In the opinion of the APFA, the TSA has completely vacated its mission and obligations with regard to this policy decision. Not only does the introduction of knives to the airplane cabin put US transportation systems at risk, but the policy decision was made without any input from aviation stakeholders. Flight attendants were not consulted on the issue and APFA was not informed of the decision until the day of its announcement.
Items to be Allowed under New Policy Beginning 25 April 2013, the following items will be allowed in carry-on bags:
§ small pocket knives (small knives with non-locking blades smaller than 2.36 inches and less than ½ inch in width)
§ small novelty bats and toy bats § § § § §
ski poles
hockey sticks lacrosse sticks billiard cues
golf clubs (limit two)
In addition to small pocket knives, which, in the hands of terrorists, have a proven record of bringing down airplanes, the other items to be removed from the prohibited items list present other unique problems. Bats, sticks, and golf clubs can certainly be used as weapons but may also cause accidental injury to other passengers in the confines of the airplane cabin. Additionally, these items can be large, awkward, and difficult or even impossible to safely stow in the cabin. The safety of all passengers is much easier to provide if these items continue to be stowed with checked baggage.
April 2013 Aviationsecurityinternational
TSA Justifications
Administrator Pistole has stated repeatedly that the decision to allow the items listed above, and knives in particular, onto planes is the result of risk- based and data-driven analysis, which is consistent with TSA’s mission statement. However, the public justifications he has provided are unconvincing:
“A small pocket knife is simply not going to result in the catastrophic failure of an aircraft,” John Pistole, Congressional testimony, 13 March 2013.
Administrator Pistole cites the armoured flight deck door, pilot training and protocols, and the increased vigilance of the flying public as reasons a hijacking could not be undertaken with small knives. Flight attendants and many others in the industry reject this reasoning. Even prior to the attacks of 9/11,
flight deck doors were closed and locked. Today, reinforced doors remain vulnerable. On all flights, the doors are opened for pilots to use the lavatory or coordinate with other crew members, leaving a window of vulnerability. In fact, many in the industry have been pushing for installed physical secondary barriers (retractable fences set up between the cockpit and cabin) to allow for secure transitions in the flight deck (Tekippe, Abraham. “How to Hijack an Airplane in 3 Seconds.” The Atlantic. 16 August 2011.) Today, pilots are trained not to open the flight deck door under any circumstances and to land the plane immediately in the event of an attempted hijacking. In theory, this is a foolproof solution. However, in
practice, it is anything but. The reality is that pilots have devices that allow them to see into the cabin without opening the door. If a pilot were to look out into the cabin and see a family member, possibly a flight attendant’s spouse, a colleague, a friend, or a small child being threatened with a blade to the throat, we can reasonably expect human nature to trump training. Additionally, it is not always plausible for a pilot to ground the aircraft, as it may be over a body of water during an incident.
“…according to the [9/11 Commission] report, which references the heroic efforts of American Airlines Flight Attendants Betty Ong and Amy Sweeney to relay information to the ground throughout the hijacking, the terrorists used knives to stab passengers and fl ight attendants, and gain entry to the fl ight deck…”
Passenger vigilance has certainly
increased in the years since the attacks of 9/11. Passengers have worked with flight crews repeatedly to thwart would- be attackers, bombers, and deranged passengers. We all remember the heroism of passengers on board United Airlines Flight 93 who saved an untold amount of lives by sacrificing their own to disrupt the terrorists’ plans.
www.asi-mag.com 15
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