Airports shifting focus to bombs, not scissors

WASHINGTON — The government's decision to allow airline passengers to carry small scissors is part of a broader shift in airport security, focusing more on keeping explosives off planes and less on stopping another Sept. 11-type attack.

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House Transportation Committee's aviation panel, applauded the decision as a welcome change in the mindset of the Transportation Security Administration.

"They're trying to shift from shaking down little old ladies with scissors and knitting needles to looking at what the real threats are," Mica said. "Explosives are my major concern."

TSA chief Kip Hawley plans a major policy speech Friday in which he'll outline security changes. Among them: Passengers will be allowed to carry scissors less than 4 inches long and wrenches and screwdrivers less than 7 inches long, according to a Homeland Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the complete list has not been made public.

It's unclear whether small knives will still be banned from passenger cabins because the list of prohibited items hasn't been finalized yet, the official said.

Flight attendants and the families of Sept. 11 victims object strongly to the plan.

"The devastating effects of 9/11 showed the world how a simple box cutter could become a deadly weapon in the hands of the wrong person," said Patricia Friend, president of the Association of Flight Attendants.

Mica and other supporters of the changes say security enhancements since Sept. 11, 2001, make it far less likely that hijackers could commandeer a jet and crash it into a building. In addition to hiring government screeners, thousands of air marshals have been deployed to fly undercover, cockpit doors have been reinforced and pilots who receive training may now carry guns.

Passengers also are seen as much more likely to intervene.

But holes remain — in particular, the threat of passengers sneaking explosives aboard. Bomb-detection machines can find explosive substances in checked baggage, but the X-ray machines and metal detectors that screen passengers and their carry-on luggage can't.

It wasn't until shoe bomber Richard Reid tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight in December 2001 that the TSA began asking people to take off their shoes for inspection.