Support the

“Leave All Blades Behind Act”

Please sign the petition!

As every airline crew member in the airline industry should know by now, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) has decided to repeal its ban on blades, such as scissor blades, so long as they are shorter than four inches.  This ban was placed into effect shortly after September 11^th, 2001 when terrorists used simple box-cutters to slice their way into the cockpits of four airlines eventually brought down to cause massive fatalities.  After four years, the flying public has become quite accustomed to what they could or could not carry through the security checkpoints.

“The TSA claims that it wants to focus more of its on screening for checked explosives and suicide bombers,” explains Shane Larson, International Director of Government Affairs for the Association of Flight Attendants.  “While we absolutely agree that this needs to be done, it should not come at the expense of cabin safety.”

In defense of its plan, the TSA claims that having to remove these dangerous objects from passenger carry-on baggage causes delays at the security checkpoints.  Mr. Larson contends that, “... this wouldn’t be such a problem if the TSA would just enforce the carry-on baggage limitations.”

“I would think that such a move would only increase the delays at the security checkpoints since the screeners would have to stop some bags just to measure the blades and ensure that they do not exceed the allowed length of blades to be permitted onboard the aircraft,” adds Debora Sutor, MEC Grievance Committee Chair of American Eagle Airlines, Inc.

MEC Government Affairs Committee Chair Debbie Golombek of United Airlines points out that even a small pair of scissors can be used in a coordinated effort by a pack of terrorists to maim Flight Attendants or passengers onboard a flight, thereby enabling them to once again instill morbid fear in the traveling public.

The vast majority of Flight Attendants across the nation are still waiting to receive the necessary training to handle the new breed of terrorists we are dealing with today.  The AFA-CWA began efforts nearly four years ago to force the TSA to issue mandatory training guidelines to the airlines for updated Security Training for Flight Attendants.  Thanks largely in part to U.S. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX)*, that struggle continues today.

“Should we lose just one more jet to terrorist activity, or experience bloody carnage onboard caused by a blade-wielding pack of terrorists, it could very well bring an end to the U.S. civil aviation as we know it today states John Carlos Metidieri, MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairman of American Eagle Airlines, Inc.  “In reintroducing these dangerous items back into the aircraft, the TSA boldly moves forward in the direction of allowing a potential terrorist on board our aircraft with weapons.”

We need your help!  Please visit www.leaveallbladesbehind.com and sign the petition urging your members of Congress to support the legislation dubbed “Leave All Blades Behind Act.” This only takes seconds to sign! This critical piece of legislation, which currently enjoys bipartisan support, would effectively reinstate the ban on all dangerous items as posted immediately after September 11^th, 2001.

Please don’t stop there!  Be sure to forward this important letter to your friends and family as well.  This petition should be signed not only by airline crew members who strive to work in a safe environment free of fear of a passenger jumping out of their seats to attack them with a dangerous weapon, but it should also be signed by their friends, family, and all those who believe in a safe civilian aviation system in our nation, and understand the likely repercussions against our society should we endure just one more terrorist attack.

*  In 2003, the United States Congress voted to pass legislation which would have required the TSA to issue guidelines to the airlines to step up Flight Attendant Training.  While the legislation was undergoing Conference Committee Action for finalization, Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX), currently facing criminal indictments on campaign-finance violations in Texas, contacted the Conference Committee to amend the Congressionally approved language which stated “The TSA shall issue guidelinesï¾ï¾¿” to read as, “The TSA may issue guidelines..”  As you can guess, the TSA has legally neglected their obligation to enhance the cabin safety of our crewmembers and passengers.