Controversial knives-on-planes policy delayed by TSA

Thursday was meant to be the day that the TSA started allowing passengers to bring small knives on board airplanes, but the controversial policy has suffered a setback. Today the agency said that it is delaying the introduction of the rules in order to assess feedback from the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, which includes law enforcement, consumer, and aviation industry representatives. The decision to delay appears to have been sudden; no new date was set for the policy’s debut, and on Wednesday a TSA spokesperson told the LA Times that the rollout would be unaffected by the Boston bombings.

Last month’s announcement of the policy sparked criticism from several quarters; the Flight Attendants Union Coalition called the new rules “poor and shortsighted,” Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said they were “baffling,” and many highlighted the apparent disconnect between allowing knives on board while banning innocuous bottles of liquid. TSA head John Pistole said the change would free up time for the agency to investigate more serious threats.