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Hockey Sticks Among Carry-On Items TSA Has Cleared For Planes
coondoggie writes "As of April 25th the Transportation Security Administration will let a bunch of previously prohibited items such as small pocket knives and what it calls 'novelty' or toy bats to be taken on aircraft as carry-ons. The idea the agency said was to let Transportation Security Officers better focus their efforts on spotting higher-threat items such as explosives and guns."
Experience teaches what common-sense does not.
Let us know when they change their policy on light sabers.
Game On Eh!
In addition to screaming brats we will now have hockey games in the aisles. Can't wait to fly with that for four hours.
Box cutters !!!!
Forgive me, I had to.
It won't fit under the seat in front of you or the overhead bin.
as long as people still aren't allowed to carry on enough liquid to make an ice rink.
You know, so that a woman can't park in an airline employee lot (which requires going through 2 security gates, one that looks at a badge and one that actually has to scan the airport-issued badge before you can park there), board an employee bus, and get dropped off on the ramp. As someone who works at an airport (actually the same one where all this happened), actual airport security is a joke. It is handled by minimum-wage contractors. I know plenty of other stores of people I've worked with that are even worse than this, but for the protection of them and myself I won't bring them up.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
How can a set of golf clubs be a permissible carryon - they exceed the dimensions of a carryon published by the airlines.
The TSA is now allowing the actual types of things used on 9/11, but still banning shampoo and bottled water?
If there is ONE THING the TSA should ban is small knives (not that I agree with that), since they are now allowing those shouldn't they just admit they shouldn't need to exist?
But I play lacrosse, you insensitive clods!
Damn it, now Canadians will be hijacking our planes.
Linux O Muerte!
Let's face it. The reason people drag all of their worldly possessions with them as carry-on is because we don't trust the baggage handlers to not destroy/steal/lose our stuff. I see this every time I fly. People don't actually want to lug a 49.9 lb wheeled bag onto the plane and then try to find/lift/get help to put it in an overhead compartment.
The carry-on problem is being caused by the baggage problem. If you solve the baggage problem, TSA security would be checking small handbags or pocket change not hockey sticks, LAN party servers, thirty pairs of shoes, etc.
Oh, and charging people for checked bags is making the problem worse, not better. What is it about the airline industry that has made every decision maker involved utterly stupid? The only aspect of air travel I can think of that doesn't operate in a wrong-headed way are the mechanics who keep the planes from falling out of the sky.
{rant/}
I am not interested in articles about life extension advancements.
This is going to be great until a bunch of canadian terrorist hi-jack an airliner.
This is a fairly typical way to permanently take away freedom. Take away a LOT of freedom during an 'emergency', then later give back a small portion of that freedom. People will be so relieved by the small concessions that they forget the larger liberties that they no longer enjoy.
Perhaps Michael Mann hasn't convinced them that the hockey stick actually exists?
My question is... will passengers be allowed to carry one of these on board.
The ban on knives was cosmetic at best, so the lifting of this ban will not result in any decrease in safety.
Q: "But wait, didn't the terrorists on 9/11 use box cutters to hijack the plane? Couldn't they do it again?"
A: No. The reason that they were able to hijack the plane before, is the "rulebook" basically said to go along with the hijackers, you fly off to some other destination, there is a negotiation that drags things out, and eventually everyone leaves alive, with stories to tell their grandchildren... Only, on 9/11 they changed the "rules".
Today, it doesn't matter what kind of weapon is used to hijack the plane, the bulk of the passengers will use whatever is at hand to beat down the hijackers, because they know they are fighting for their lives now, and if you are going to die, you might as well go down swinging. Coupling this with the _1_ security measure that actually improved airline safety, putting locks on the cockpit doors (which does nothing if they don't actually lock them of course), the chance of hijacking a passenger airliner successfully is almost nil. Maybe a small puddle jumper commuter craft composed of all terrorists would be successful, but in that circumstance, they wouldn't need weapons either.
Yes, someone can still get hurt, and even killed, but you could do that with a pen/pencil or some other pointy object stabbed into the appropriate place. Now maybe someone from the UK will have a different take on this, as they seemed to fear bladed objects, as they appear to be the primary homicide weapon of choice since the general populace doesn't have access to firearms. As an American male, with military training I am not terribly afraid of knives being used to subdue a a plane full of passengers, whoever foolhardy that may be, as I believe that sheer weight of numbers would incapacitate or kill any would be hijacker in this. For most Americans, a knife is a tool, and not a weapon, and while it can be used as such, so can just about anything else, to include bricks, shoes, rocks, sharp sticks, and harsh language.
Just my $.02 worth.
Higher threat items, like explosives and guns and 4 ounce liquid containers and shoes.
I don't think I've ever seen a hockey stick used in a violent act. I'm surprised they banned them in the first place.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
It doesn't matter what they ban or do not ban. The fact is that the most "devastating" attack in recent American history was done by some dudes with box cutters. Not a suicide vest, not machine guns, or machetes, or a big bomb. We lost to box cutters. I think we have bigger problems.
The TSA has not prevented any attacks. Most people use the fallacious argument that because there haven't been any major terrorist attacks carried out, that the TSA is doing its job.
Logically, one can conclude that the TSA is not only not doing its job, but no terrorists have attempted to perform any attacks, therefore the TSA is a fraud and totally worthless. We should eliminate the TSA and go back to how things were pre-9/11. Things were fine before the TSA, and they will continue to be fine after we get rid of the TSA.
The fact there have been no major terrorist attacks since the WTC thing is proof of this. Once we get rid of the TSA, and all airport security, we will have nothing to worry about. Especially if every passenger is carrying guns and/or knives.
NO HARLEM SHUFFLE!
And then, like maple syrup, Canada's evil would ooze all over the United States.
Which would then lead to our children pledging allegiance to the maple leaf, pouring mayonnaise over everything, winter 11 months of the year, and having Anne Murray on the radio all day, every day.
Won't somebody think of the children?
I think you mean the Harlem Shake, not The Harlem Shuffle...
coding is life
Every time we go through, they take wife's clippers from her. And every time she makes a big deal about it. And after the first couple of times, daughter and I sidle away from her, whistling tunelessly and staring at the ceiling...
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
That's about as much commonsense as they've used to date. Can we at least agree little old ladies and infants represent a small enough threat that we don't have to give them pat downs or full body scans? People don't realize it but the TSA haven't found a single potential terrorist, not one. So far billions spent and we get a goose egg for all the inconvenient and money.
And why are people dragging all of their worldly possessions on a 3-day trip to Ft. Lauderdale? Pack better, and you will see a lot of these problems disappear. I've worked on the ramp several years, and most of the times that I've seen bags damaged/lost (lost as in won't make your flight) is because they are so overpacked or packed lopsided that they fall off a tug, get stuck under other bags weighing 65lbs, or just burst open. It seems like in most cases the bags that are the most overpacked are also bags that are 10 years old, ripped, and have one or both handles broken off. If people didn't overpack as much as they do, things would not be as bad as they are. Also, it seems like most people like to buy these bags that have all these unnecessary buckles, straps, and knobs that get caught on literally everything. The doors and floors of the cargoholds are in most cases not smooth. There are screws sticking up, edges of panels are raised up, and the door designs of MD-88/90/DC-9s are so poorly designed that zippers and other random parts are bound to get stuck and snap off. The best suitcase to buy is one of the harder, plastic 4 wheel spinners, as they are the least likely to get caught, and I don't think I've ever seen broken handles on them. But all of these cheap, flimsy cloth bags with little to no structural support? Of course they're going to get broken, they are made as cheap as possible. And steal stuff? We're lucky if we have 40 minutes to offload 100 bags and put 100 bags back on to a plane. Ignoring the fact that most baggage handlers would never steal stuff, they wouldn't even have the time to steal stuff if they wanted to. Purchase suitcases wisely, use common sense when packing (you dont need 7 outfits and 5 pairs of shoes for a weekend trip ladies, sorry), and your bags will last longer and all your stuff will be waiting for you when you land.
Oh, and for the love of god, if you buy a puppy from an out of state breeder, drive over there and pick your dog up yourself. Those things get terrified when they get stuck in a cargo hold for 5 hours.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
Speed skate blades have never been banned for Carry-on air travel.
[At least as far as I know - they were legal before this change.]
And if you know anything about speed-skate blades, you know they're literally RAZOR sharp 17 inch mini-swords.
They might not be as dangerous as a full-on machete, but pretty damn close.
When I heard about ice blades being fine for carry-on - I was astonished. You can't bring a razor-blade or a small knife, but 17" clap blades you could shave with? Just peachy!
The whole BS around airline security is insane.
I shouldn't have to check a whole suitcase just so I can have my pocket knife or Leatherman with me when I travel. That's just silly.
The old rule was something like 3 inches, or "diagonally across the guard's badge" (convenient measuring tool, that :-). Most ordinary pocket knives fall into that category.
(and folding knives with locks are safer tools to use, resulting in fewer self-inflicted user injuries... *le sigh*)
coding is life
Or any liquid in a larger than super-tiny container?
I still remember going through airport security with a leatherman on my belt and not even setting off the metal detector.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
"As of April 25th the Transportation Security Administration will let a bunch of previously prohibited items such as small pocket knives and what it calls 'novelty' or toy bats to be taken on aircraft as carry-ons. The idea the agency said was to let Transportation Security Officers better focus their efforts on spot higher threat items such as explosives and guns".
With all this airport security, makes me wonder how then can never find all that cocaine that's being smuggled into the USA.
must be working!
I've never had anything stolen and I've flown several times a year for many years leaving fairly valuable things in my luggage. So IF the GP is correct, it's the perception of theft and not the theft itself that is the problem. But it's not the baggage handlers stealing it, it's the inspectors.
However, your rant about how people should buy luggage is totally backwards. People buy the luggage they want for the reasons that are important to them. If the airlines' systems don't work, that's a problem with the airlines/airports, not with the customer. Period. Those harder plastic ones? I think they suck and I'm not going to buy one just to guarantee you don't break it.
And for the record, my GF DOES need 7 outfits and 5 pairs of shoes for a weekend trip and god help you if you ever suggest otherwise to her face. (I speak from experience.)
way to miss the entire context of the article!
It sounds like airplane baggage holds are a horrible place to put luggage in general. That is not a problem of the luggage. And it is quite evident that SOMEONE is stealing stuff from luggage. It's probably the TSA agents, not the ramp personnel. The ramp people are too busy. The TSA feel like they are the Gestapo and entitled to steal whatever they want from whomever they want.
If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
and yet they STILL won't let you carry on RC cars. Fascists.
Monstar L
And for the record, my GF DOES need 7 outfits and 5 pairs of shoes for a weekend trip and god help you if you ever suggest otherwise to her face. (I speak from experience.)
Let me know the next time you fly, and I'll steal your gf's whip for you ;)
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
Way to miss that I was replying to the GP, and not the article
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
And why are people dragging all of their worldly possessions on a 3-day trip to Ft. Lauderdale?
Because you can't go out without having a full makeup case. And what do you do if the weather changes? Are you beaching in the day, and going out at night? Changing clothes every day? 6 sets of clothes (means 12 pair of shoes for women), full bathroom case, and whatever "extras" someone feels comfortable with.
Oh, and for the love of god, if you buy a puppy from an out of state breeder, drive over there and pick your dog up yourself. Those things get terrified when they get stuck in a cargo hold for 5 hours.
But they love the trunk for 16 hours?
And steal stuff? We're lucky if we have 40 minutes to offload 100 bags and put 100 bags back on to a plane. Ignoring the fact that most baggage handlers would never steal stuff, they wouldn't even have the time to steal stuff if they wanted to.
Funny, between dropping my bags off and the plane opening for the 100 bags in 10 minutes, they sit somewhere for 2+ hours, often coming home with a "you've been TSA'd" pamphlet in them. Someone has the time to open them, look in them, and leave a note. And you imply it's impossible to steal. Everything stolen is stolen from check-in to take-off. Another good reason to carry your bags with you 100% of the time.
Learn to love Alaska
Will calipers (Image) still get confiscated? They cost +$100 for a good one.
It seems they had to change the rules to "conform with international rules", not because they came to their senses.
... Does that mean that we are in a safer place now? I have to wonder if that's the case or not.
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
There are any number of items that are allowed on an airplane (or already exist on an airplane or can be obtained airside or whatever) that could easily be used to cause serious injury if not death.
Like the situation with knitting needles where knitting needles are (or were) banned but if you add a graphite center to it and make it a pencil its magically ok even though its just as long and just as sharp (if not sharper)
Or the situation where you have soldiers or law enforcement in full uniform with full gear and weapons (which could easily be used to take over the plane if they wanted to) being forced to surrender pairs of nail clippers or other little items.
Or the situation where razor-sharp ice skates (sharp enough to take someones head off) are allowed but little Swiss Army knives and multi-tools are banned even though they are far less dangerous.
This is all so silly to me.
When I was a kid my father went on a business trip and came back I with my mother met him at the gate and he walked down the delta ramp carrying a rifle and a pistol. He bought them from the client he went to visit and the stewardess put them in the closet near the exit during the flight. No one cared, no one tried to kill anyone and we walked out of the airport carrying a rifle and a pistol and the only person who said anything was a older fella who asked my dad about the rifle and reminisced about having one like it when was a boy (was a level action 3030)
Not only is it a flammable liquid, but it takes a single second to turn the empty bottle into a deadly edged weapon.
They took a tiny pair of pliers that I'd forgotten about, but they're still fine with me bringing the vodka.
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
But they love the trunk for 16 hours?
The puppy should travel in the cabin of the vehicle, Mitt.
My father died in an airline crash because a mechanic signed off on a job he "knew he'd finish by the shift end" but didn't quite get to. The next mechanic saw it had been signed off and so didn't chech and sent the plane off. The mechanics aren't blameless either.
I'm glad I can carry my knife again.
I mis-read and interpreted "exceed the dimensions of a carryon" as "exceed the dimensions of a crayon." I guess it's because I associate the experience of commercial flight with "small, cramped and barely tolerable stupidity." "Crayon" seemed credible, because I had also just read that the head of the Justice Department said the Executive had legal authority to use drones to kill citizens on U.S. soil without trial. When confronting a ridiculous society, I'm learning to suspend my disbelief.
Bottom line, I have loved-ones to feed and projects I need to get done. I can't stop flying due to thugs...whether the thugs wear a head-scarf or a uniform. In my mind, TSA actually make planes more secure, because their antics make the observant realize they cannot rely on a bureaucracy for protection... Ultimately, it's up to us to defend ourselves and our fellow travelers.
I understand the principles of mass, density, force and concentration. I've too easily broken the bones of fellow humans. I know what common airplane objects I can use as weapons. No one is going to hijack *my* plane because I will risk much to defend it, knowing the alternative is much worse.
YELL and POINT. Make me aware. That's all I ask of my fellow travelers. Any additional help will earn you much gratitude.
The rightwingers who love the TSA never really believed Hockey sticks were real anyway right ?
***
Yeah, but whose afraid of Canadians anyway ? The last time a Canadian broke the law it was smuggling Whisky to the USA during prohibition.
Okay, okay, I'm done.
Unicode killed the ASCII-art *
Kevin Smith might enjoy flying again?
Business as usual the fucking door to the cockpit are locked and the pilot has a gun.
Everything else TSA related is over reach by government and should me withdrawn.
If they count on stopping terrorists by security (theater) checks and the airports and similar, it's too late - way too late. If a terrorist actually gets to the security check at the airport it's a major fail. As no terrorist is ready to do his evil deed in just a few days. the intelligence services have plenty of time to spot and verify each potential terrorist and stop his activities a long time before he even plans to go to the airport. Sure, the security check at the airport might prevent a specific attack, but if you focus on the persons instead of the tools, you might catch all of the terrorists and their leader instead of just the one at the airport.
I recommend dropping almost everything at the airport and use all the resources out in the country, keeping close tabs on the terrorist nests, i.e. meetings/events relating to right- or left wing extremists, militias, religious cults including Islamist mosques and so on. I cannot think of any terrorist not affiliated with an organization already known to be suspect at the time of discovery. Use the resources to identify those people most likely to become 'active' and then stop them. I know the FBI has had a lot of success providing these people with fake explosives and so on, thus both identifying them and their intentions with certainty and prevent any risk to the general public.
"For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." -- H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) --
I used to be able to go to the airport and check my guns.
Now what? Your going to store this data?
So you can confiscate later (read the memo)
From people that lied about bodyscanners and Mr Haskel
From people that steal
From people that aren't "officers"
From people that oh nevermind...
No bailouts for the airlines again. Fuck that.
Not a problem. All a flight attendant needs to do call a penalty and send them to the lavatory.
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
I want my 8 keychain knives back, dammit!
I used to fly weekly. Most of the time, it was on the company plane between 2 cities, but a few times a year, it was for a day trip to a meeting on a commercial flight.
On the company plane, I'd show up 3 minutes before the flight, show my badge and get on the plane. No checks. The created a habit. I never worried that my tiny pocket knife was an issue.
Next commercial flight, I'm running late - always a little late, get to the airport screening line and the TSA person starts asking me questions about sharp objects. Dam - another tiny pocket knife gone. They needed a leave-a-knife pick-a-knife program at both ends of the airport.
I can think of 1,000 good uses for a tiny pocket knife and just as many negative uses, but most of the negative uses are not really too bad. We're talking about little knives here, not the larger hunting knives sold on late-night shopping TV.
I want my 8 tiny pocket knives back. These never should have been taken. Also, why do we need to wait until late April? I'm on a flight tomorrow. They need a month to formalize training? 2.4" blade - less or more? How hard is that? Just look at the length of the knife. Close enough.
Safer tools for complete retards, or when stabbing someone, yes.
The article doesn't mention them, so I guess drinks are still banned.
How fortunate. Because if you're worried about terrorists taking over the plane with a small pen knife, think about how much damage they could do with a plastic water bottle.
What if you attach pocket knives to a hockey stick? The polearm poll yesterday lacked this option.
'Once scientists, even the dim-witted social scientists, get muzzled, the Western Civilization is finished.' - oldhack
This is great news for Casey Jones.
Your family likely moved far away from you because of your guitar playing. Why do you want to take your guitar with you when you go to meet them.
I can carry my Hattori Hanz sword on with me and have it sitting right next to me the entire time...
I, for one, welcome our hockey playing and curling overlords?
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
Folks, pull out your Swiss Army knife, and open the only or largest blade, and measure it with a ruler.
I was just in a thread on a mailing list yesterday, and suddenly thought of doing this. Measure from the tip to the hilt, *NOT* to the end of the sharp edge.
Mine's 2.5", and it's not one of the big ones. In fact, I think the only ones that would have a blade that short are the "executive" models, suitable for trimming your cuticles....
Like the TSA: sounds good, all security theater in practice.
mark
No need to actually bring your own weapon with you - just book first-class and have the airlines hand them to you!
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
I hope the Hanson Brothers are on any flights I take. No one will mess with them.
I don't care about the small pocket knives either way.
I haven't seen any news about them allowing shampoo, water, soda, or other liquids in normal sizes.
But they allow a limited number of Golf Clubs and Hockey Sticks ?!?!
WTF?!
Can you imagine those things in the average plane cabin?
They won't fit under the seat. Putting them in the overhead compartment will be difficult if not impossible, and is going to be interfering with people using the other sections of it even if you do wedge it in. (Honey, I can't get the asprin, the asshat two rows up stuck a fucking hockey stick in here and it's got everything wedged in.)
Can you imagine them trying to hold it? They'll keep dropping it after an hour or three. Do you want to get wacked by on of those falling on you? Just imagine rough flight conditions.
Long objects like Golf Clubs, Hockey Sticks, Fishing Poles, and Boar Spears (among many others) NEED TO BE CHECKED INTO BAGGAGE !
I'm still hoping some moron at the TSA screwed up on the calendar and thinks it's April.
Just leave the crop, that's not for punitive uses :P
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
use a hard rolling suitcase with integrated locks into the frame. Nothing short of a circle saw or a blow torch will open those up. Bonus points if it has a gps tracker built into it with no way to power it down while it is closed short of a faraday cage. make a thief's life as hard as possible.
It's not Canadians with hockey sticks you have to worry about, it's Canadians *without* hockey gloves you might want to look out for...
If you see a Canadian not wearing hockey gloves, it means they have already dropped them... approach cautiously.
Who is old enough to remember that a group of Hell's Angel killed Meredith Hunter at Altamont using sharpened cue sticks (and chains, but the sawn-off sticks were primary) as the club's weapon of choice. "Under My Thumb," indeed.
Because the hockey season is so short, teams now have to carry on their luggage in order to make the schedule. Only problem is, that with the carry on limits, goalies can't take their pads anymore.