Is TSA serious about letting people carry knives?

Tiffany Hawk, former flight attendant wrote a Special to CNN titled “Is TSA serious about letting people carry knives?” Apparently the Transportation Security Administration will soon permit passengers to carry small knives on airplanes. 

Tiffany Hawk critiques this change as being absurd and completely inappropriate. Her arguments are made from a very personal point of view, giving that she was a former flight attendant with United Airlines and Virginia America. One of her main arguments is against what TSA chief Kip Hawley told CNN about sharp objects no longer being able to bring down an aircraft. She notes that he used the word “aircraft“ rather than “people” which is what should really matter. 

She also argues that the 9/11 Commission found that terrorist used knives such as Leatherman tools to overtake the crew, but even if small knives were no longer a threat, what is really the point of allowing them again. TSA claims that the new policy will benefit all passengers who currently carry a small knife with them and must give it up because they are not permitted on board. That will help lower the amount of banned goods that are surrendered each month, which is currently about 850 pounds. I believe this argument made by TSA is very weak, because those 850 pounds are not composed of only small knives. 

Tiffany Hawks also argues that people who continue to bring small knives should be fined rather than changing the policy just to “benefit” those who “forget” to leave their pocket knives at home. Her last argument states that we need faster and easier checkpoints, but it seems as if TSA’s approach is going backwards. 

I believe Tiffany’s arguments were acceptable and personal, but I would have liked her to include more details on what TSA finds as “beneficial” in this change. There may not be any more reasons other than the one mentioned, but I find it hard to believe that, that may be the only one. But all in all, I do agree with her standing point and am also concerned of what may happen if this change really does occur.