Knives on planes

[David Thomas]

Edited for: My bad. NO LONGER TRUE!!! TSA said they were going to and then back off. As Joel's link below shows, the newer website postings are in agreement – No knives, snakes, or bombs on planes. I'm back to gnawing up plastic wrapping and filing my fingernails on a rock.

My original post:

In Alaska, we are REQUIRED to board planes with .44 magnum, a requirement which is only waived if, instead, you have a 12-gauge with rifled slugs. But for the rest of you:

For the last two months, you've been able to carry a pen knife through security and onto a plane. The rules are:

The blade must be shorter than 2.36 inches.
The blade must have a width thinner than ½ inch.
The knife cannot have a locking mechanism or fixed blade.
The knife cannot have a molded grip.

Here's a site that has links to photos of allowed and disallowed knives:

http://www.knife-depot.com/knife-information-100.html

Punchline: a SAK Classic is fine and well within the rules.

Gram-weenies should focus on the "cannot have a molded grip" criteria and look at the photos. Some of those Sypderco knives have what I would consider "molded grips".

Somehow, after the Grand Canyon R2R2R, I ended up with a padded envelope that Game Warden Mike Moore had mailed to Death-run Orgainzer Eugene Smith with his tiny little SAK knife in it. 13 months later, and he could have carried it on board himself.

I have NOT found a reference on razor blades. I'll be trying with one of my SAK Classics in 26 hours. You're welcome to do your own tests.

[Joel F]

The TSA no longer allows small knives in your carry-on luggage unless it has a rounded blade, such as a butter knife. This page has a nice table as to what is prohibited:

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/prohibited-items

I found out the hard way the other week. I traveled in late May and was able to board my flight with my Swiss Army pocket knife. Traveled the second week of June and it was confiscated.

TSA drops plan to allow knives on planes:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/travel/tsa-knives

Joel

[David Thomas]

Thanks Joel, for catching and correcting my mistake.

"Security Theater" continues. Sigh.

[Raymond Estrella]

I have had it with these motherblankin’ knives on this motherblanckin’ plane!

Uh, Sam? Wrong thread…

;-)

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