Knives and airports?

[cuchillo]

Could some of you fellow forumites shed some light on knives and air travel? What's allowed in airports, through security checks, and on planes? What can be put in checked luggage and what's allowed in carry-on? I appreciate your help.

 

[Elvislives]

The basic rule I've read here is 3" folders for carry. I've never had any trouble, but I usually carry a case peanut or something. Anything bigger is in the bags, and gets checked.

Brandon

------------------
I've got the schizophrenic blues
No I don't
Yes I do...

 

[Rick1955]

Well, since the Feds generally have jurisdiction over aviation, I looked in the US Code. I couldn't find anything specific on planes and airports but it does indicate that a pocketknife with a blade of less than 2 1/2" in length is legal. Question is, how do they measure the blade length - does it include the part of the blade in the handle?

I had go back and check my small pocketknife on the last flight I took after they found it in my pocket going through the security point. They said the knife was "legal" but asked me to cooperate. So I did.

Anyone else out there know for sure?

Originally posted by cuchillo:
Could some of you fellow forumites shed some light on knives and air travel? What's allowed in airports, through security checks, and on planes? What can be put in checked luggage and what's allowed in carry-on? I appreciate your help.

 

[bigfred]

I have traveled alot this last year. I have never had a problem with my spyderco endura with the plain edge. A BM that was the same size did not get through due to the serations. It seems the airport personnel do not like serations. If you stick with a small plain edge folder you should be OK.

 

[Novadak]

I used to fly pretty regularly between Sea-Tac and Honolulu International. I've walked through a checkpoint with a fully serrated Spyderco Endura before, the conversation went something like:
Them: Is this your knife?
Me: Yeah.
Them: Uh, ok, cool.
Then they gave it back to me and I got on the plane.
I mean, since they give you a serrated fixed blade to cut your food with on the plane, you'd think there wouldn't be restrictions, but then again I've usually been pretty lucky going through airport security.. except they did make me take my boots off and put them through the x-ray once though, that was kind of embarrassing.

 

[Phillip Reedy]

Hello Cuchillo,

The bottom line to this type of discussion is this: no matter what the laws/rules are, it is left up to a barely-educated $6.00/hr. security person to decide how to interpret those laws. A knife that sails through one security checkpoint may just as easily get stopped cold at another. You have no argument..no say.., and are pretty much at the mercy of that particular security person.

My extensive personal experience is that a professional-looking person carrying a small, non-threatening knife will usually not have any problems. Anything else needs to be in your checked baggage, and you can put just about any type of bladed weapon there (assuming the local ordinances allow you to have it in the first place). Just remember that the most an airline will reimburse for lost luggage is about a grand, so don't put a lot of very expensive knives in one suitcase.

Take along a minitool or small SAK, and leave the big blades in the checked luggage.

have fun,
Phil Reedy

 

[jeegeet]

Originally posted by Phillip Reedy:
no matter what the laws/rules are, it is left up to a barely-educated $6.00/hr. security person to decide how to interpret those laws.
Phil Reedy[/B]

How much do they make per hour doesn't really say anything about their common sense. So, let's stop this crap. It isn't going to help anybody if we start pre-developing negative attitudes.

Phil, put an anti-gun, anti-knife super-educated liberal person with all the degrees on that terminal and let's see what kind of blade you'll get through with.

Cuchillo, search the forums for "airports" and you'll see a bunch of threads with many advices.

Kris