A 1/2 inch wide knife?
I have only seen a 1/2 inch wide blade once, and that was a very large kukri.

width as in edge to spine... see the graphic on the PDF shown on the leftmost swiss army knife's blade.

Its only a matter of time before some whacko decides to try something stupid with a small blade. Sure, this is great for the normal people who would rather weigh backpacking gear in grams and put them on a spreadsheet, but it only takes one nutjob...

Not to get too philosophical over this -- but the "it only takes one nutjob" is exactly the idiotc mindset that bureaucrats fall for time and again. Doing nothing will exact a terrible cost. But doing something will exact some cost as well. The proper thing is to weigh the cost of safeguards against the benefits so the process does not become counter productive.

Is one incident too many? Then imagine if we apply that mindset to automobiles. Imagine banning cars after one nutjob drag race.

My beef is still with the stupid decision to make EVERYONE take off their shoes just because of one idiot terrorist wannabe.

Edited by ben2world on 03/06/2013 12:17:48 MST.

If I had to fight someone to the death, I would rather have a large blunt object like a stainless steel water bottle instead of a wimpy little non locking folding knife that is going to close on my fingers when I try to stab someone. Even a pair of pointy scissors is going to do more damage.
Seriously, a small non locking folding knife is not a deadly weapon.

knitting needles have been allowed for a very long time.. and you should not piss off a knitter ;) But they are generous people and would probably lend you a needle to fight someone with a tiny knife.

:waves: Hi Kat! haha

Justin:

If they won't let you bring real weapons, chances are whoever you're fighting with won't be armed either. So, put down the water bottle, quit whining, and fight like a man! :)

I'll just stab em with a trekking pole!

Any time someone not in my seating area puts something in "my" overhead bin, leaving me no space, OUT it goes! That bin is ONLY for my seat grouping. Period.

I've even told flight attendants that and every one of them has agreed - so far.
Really pisses off those who brought too much "carry on". Whaaaaa! Whaaaaa!

KNIFE FIGHT

Edited by Konrad1013 on 03/07/2013 00:07:58 MST.

I'm with you Eric. Poaching overhead space on your way to the back of the bus puts your luggage at risk of (me) placing it in the aisle (and therefore it being gate checked at the last minute).

They are dangerous.

Edited by justin_baker on 03/07/2013 02:03:52 MST.

Small knives and weapons aren't a danger for planes anymore. The reason 9-11 worked with box cutters was that the mindset when hi jacked was to ride it out, get flown to libya, sit in the plane for a few days, then get released without harm. So there was no reason to fight a hijacker when by being calm and riding it out gave you the best chance of survival.

If the terrorists of 9-11 tried that again today they wouldn't get near the cockpit. It only took a phone call and a few hours after the first impact for flight 93 to fight back. And that plane only crashed because the terrorists already took control of the cockpit.

So post 9-11 the attitude toward hijacking as changed and therefore small weapons are safe. The explosive risk is still there and agree with the TSA that it should be the focus.

"I'm with you Eric. Poaching overhead space on your way to the back of the bus puts your luggage at risk of (me) placing it in the aisle (and therefore it being gate checked at the last minute)."

People seem to do that routinely. You know, a row 28 seat or higher, but folks slip their bags into the first available bin space they see regardless (like row #4)! I've never seen even a mildly discouraging look from any of the flight attendants.

But that aside, all the times that I have boarded onto airplanes, I've always managed to find some overhead bin space within 1 or 2 rows of my seat.

From CNN...

"The U.S. government is delaying the implementation of a rule that would again permit passengers to carry small knives on commercial flights.

Three days before the rule was to have taken effect, the Transportation Security Administration said it would consider additional input from a group that includes aviation-related interests and law enforcement experts."

Per the LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-tsa-to-delay-allowing-small-knives-on-planes-20130422,0,3679780.story
this also includes ski/trekking poles and other items for which they'd planned to relax the rules.

And if my 1860's dress isn't quite finished in time, I won't be able to sew it on the plane to the Gettysburg 150th Anniversary, unless I cut the thread with my teeth (which aren't that sharp!). Ah, well, it's a red-eye flight anyway, so I should be sleeping.

Edited by hikinggranny on 04/22/2013 20:52:46 MDT.

Delayed?! OMG people are so ignorant!

One option might be to stop by a walmart and buy whatever $5-$10 knife they have just for the one trip. It would be cheaper then checking a bag, even if you also had to buy tent pegs there you'd still come out ahead.

I hope we can eventually carry the small ones again even though the delay looks like it'll stay in the same now. Until then, I'm OK with checking. Put it in a side pocket, grab it as soon as you get your baggage when you land...if you get your baggage.

Edited by syntax on 04/23/2013 08:53:40 MDT.

"One option might be to stop by a walmart and buy whatever $5-$10 knife they have just for the one trip."

Certainly a good idea. If you feel that you really need a knife at all, and have time and transportation to get to a walmart or the like, if such a store is in the vicinity of your destination.

For me, however, I'll still be checking baggage so that I can have trekking poles. I'm not inclined to hope that I can buy and then later give away a cheap and heavy set of poles at my destination.