SURPRISES FROM THE TSA

The TSA surprised a lot of people this week when it declared that beginning on April 25th, small pocket knives, two golf clubs, ski poles, wiffle-ball bats, souvenir baseball bats under 24 inches, and sporting sticks used for hockey, lacrosse and billiards could now be carried onboard airplanes.

Their stated reason was to be able to speed up the airport security lines by now allowing these non-threatening items, which they have been confiscating frequently.

It would be interesting to know why these items are no longer considered a security risk, while bottled water, tweezers, cuticle scissors, and toiletries larger than 3 oz. are still deemed to be a threat.

I doubt that most golfers would be able to play 18 holes with just two clubs, so the reasonable expectation is that their full bag of clubs would be checked luggage. It is also rare in most urban airports to see passengers trying to board with

their ski poles. Will these fit under the seats or in the overhead bins stuffed full of carry-on bags?

A much more obvious way to speed up the lines would be to implement some of the working practices from the Pre-Check lanes, such as allowing everyone to keep their shoes on, not requiring that computers be removed from their cases, allowing people to keep their jackets on, and leaving the approved toiletry bags inside the suitcases.

With the predicted longer lines and extended waiting periods to pass through security during the upcoming months, it might be a good time to discontinue some of the less necessary screening practices in the interest of allowing passengers to board their flights in time for take-off.

What would you recommend to reduce the waiting times to clear security, and how do you feel about allowing pocket knives back on the planes again?