Unions representing American Airlines and Southwest Airlines flight attendants reacted angrily Tuesday to reports that the Transportation Security Administration will allow knives, clubs and other such items onto flights.
The revised policy ?is a threat to passengers and affront to flight attendants. This policy was designed to make the lives of TSA staff easier, but not make flights safer,? said Stacy K. Martin, president of the Transport Workers Union?s Local 556 that represents Southwest flight attendants.
?While we agree that a passenger wielding a small knife or swinging a golf club or hockey stick poses less of a threat to the pilot locked in the cockpit, these are real threats to passengers and flight attendants in the passenger cabin,? she said.
Similarly, the new policy upset the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents American?s flight attendants.
?The APFA and our colleagues at other flight attendant unions have enjoyed a close working relationship with TSA since its inception,? APFA president Laura Glading said.
?That?s why I?m a little puzzled that such a momentous decision would be made without consulting us. In addition to being industry stakeholders, first responders, and September 11th?victims, flight attendants are a resource. Nobody knows what it takes to keep passengers safe better than we do,? Glading said.
According to the APFA, TSA administrator John Pistole announced the policy at a Brooklyn aviation security conference Tuesday. The union said the policy change, to go into effect April 25, ?will bring the US into conformance with international rules.?
The Flight Attendants Union Coalition, which represents 90, 000 flight attendants put out a statement condemning the TSA?s action.
?Today?s announcement to permit knives back into the aircraft cabin is a poor and shortsighted decision by the TSA. Continued prohibition of these items is an integral layer in making our aviation system secure and must remain in place.
?As the last line of defense in the cabin and key aviation partners, we believe that these proposed changes will further endanger the lives of all flight attendants and the passengers we work so hard to keep safe and secure.
?Flight attendants are the front line safety and security professionals onboard every commercial passenger aircraft in this country and must be given the tools and training to protect ourselves, our passengers and the aircraft. Despite repeated requests for updated training to include basic self-defense maneuvers to allow us to defend ourselves, flight attendants still do not receive mandatory training about how to effectively recognize and defend others against attacks aboard the aircraft.?
Among the coalition?s members are the APFA, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
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