Traveling hunters and fishermen who have forfeited their small knives attached to their keychains at airports over the past decade have a reason to cheer.
At an aviation conference in New York, TSA administrator John Pistole said the TSA was lifting its ban on small knives in aircraft cabins.
Pistole said that the allowable knives will be limited to “retractable blades shorter than 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) and narrower than 1/2 inch at the widest point.”
Still prohibited would be “knives with locking blades or molded handles,” Pistole said. Razor blades and box cutters would still be banned.
What will be allowed is still unclear but it is expected that small hunting knives will also be prohibited, likely including knives with serrated blades.
Presumably, keychain-sized knives like the small Swiss Army knives will now be permitted.
The changes will go into effect on April 25.
