The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has a fight on their hands. Ever since federal officials made the call to allow passengers to board planes carrying pocket knives, the TSA has heard a number of protests from airline workers and travelers.
The union representing air marshals has joined flight attendants, pilots and airline insurance firms in calling on the TSA to reconsider its decision to permit a certain carry-on items. More than 12,000 people have signed a petition urging President Obama to keep knives off planes. We don’t blame them. Better safe, than sorry — don’t allow people to have knives on them, especially in this day and age; where copycat murders and mass killings are running rampant.
The Flight Attendants Union Coalition, representing nearly 90,000 Flight Attendants at carriers nationwide, issued the following statement blasting the announcement to allow knives and other dangerous objects into the aircraft cabin, relaxing an over decade long ban. [The] “announcement to permit knives back into the aircraft cabin is a poor and shortsighted decision by the TSA. Continued prohibition of these items is an integral layer in making our aviation system secure and must remain in place. As the last line of defense in the cabin and key aviation partners, we believe that these proposed changes will further endanger the lives of all Flight Attendants and the passengers we work so hard to keep safe and secure. Flight Attendants are the front line safety and security professionals onboard every commercial passenger aircraft in this country and must be given the tools and training to protect ourselves, our passengers and the aircraft. Despite repeated requests for updated training to include basic self-defense maneuvers to allow us to defend ourselves, Flight Attendants still do not receive mandatory training about how to effectively recognize and defend others against attacks aboard the aircraft.”
It’s time to step up TSA and answer to the people.
