One new regulation for airlines is interesting. No knives will be allowed--not surprising through security checkpoint BUT not allowed ON the airplane. That means no knives in first class nor plastic knives in coach. Plus--no knives in AIRPORTS!! Just heard this on an interview with our airport (a major hub) manager.

so far, all the "new" security measures proposed are completely irrelevant, non-preventitve, and just plain absurd: how would have eliminating curb-side luggage or preventing non-ticketed passengers to go to the departure gates have prevented anything of Tuesdays events? ... hijackers can afford boarding passes, too! silly regulations such as these will do nothing more than inconvenience US citizens and America-based travelers, cost a lot of $$$ and merely facilitate repeat occurrences. instead, they really should re-evaluate anti-terrorist safety procedures, such as having ongoing contact with the ground controls without the ability to turn it off, procedures for not opening cockpit doors during hijack situations (even under horrific circumstances), and potentially even training SOME flight attendants in military/physical defence training ... we tend to confuse flight staff with waitstaff - but the fact of the matter is they are there for safety, before service, and the FAA should acknowledge the need for serious and realistically preventative measures, and leave our good old curb-side luggage alone

The FAA has failed for over 20 years to update the air control system. Now they've fallen back on 20 year old proposals that they failed to get into place ... and which wouldn't have done a thing to prevent Tuesday's tragedy. <BR> <BR>We'll next see the FAA propose buggy whips to speed up air travel! <BR> <BR>Let's hope that someone in the government will take charge and put in place regulations that will truly benefit safety. And let's further hope the executive and the legislature finally figure out the FAA is flat out incompetent.

Someone has suggested that cockpits be sealed with something like 2 inch steel plate before the main doors to the cabin are closed. There should be no way to open this seal until the plane lands and the main doors open. <BR>While this would not have saved the passengers, it would prevent highjackers from gaining control of the plane's direction. <BR>Maybe there's something to that idea. I'm sure those more knowledgable than I will find some problems in this like the problem should be stopped on the ground. <BR>

Lilipad, I agree with you 100 percent. Nothing the FAA has proposed will make a bit of difference. including forbidding knives, as long as they're going to continue to allow razor blades, which are the key part of a box cutter! <BR> <BR>Perhaps special training for the flight attendants isn't enough and we should have air marshalls. I cetainly would feel better. And cockpit security sure makes more sense to me than checked-baggage precautions.

Thank you, Lilipad -- I wondered just how curbside check-in which allows one to leave non-carry-on luggage(isn't that to be x-rayed anyway before being loaded?) and those grocery store box cutters are much more nasty than a steak knife. As pointed out in another post, it's simply a razor blade in a holder. And razor blades are not on the banned list. <BR> <BR>Actually, since the requirement that flight staff be trained RNs was dropped, I thought they were merely waitresses. Are they even required to have a BA or BS degree? Of course, being able to tell passengers to take off their shoes and slide down this emergency ramp doesn't require much. <BR> <BR>Bottom line, these measures would really make no difference, other than to our wallets. <BR> <BR>Why isn't Bush or whoever giving FAA officials pink slips??? How long would you keep your job if you permitted this big a "slip-up"? Of course, immigration should have a few red faces too. <BR> <BR>

So geniuses, ALL of you KNEW that these suicidal zealots would hijack planes and turn them into bombs. The security checkpoints DID work--there was not a gun on those planes. As for your wonderful impression of what flight attendants do, get a life. What do you do that is so wondeful. And there are federal marshals on trans-atlantic flights which is why they picked domestic flights.

Gretchen, Re: "So geniuses, ALL of you KNEW that these suicidal zealots would hijack planes and turn them into bombs." <BR> <BR>Actually, the threat to do that <I>was</I> apparently known. On Nightline last night, Ted Koppel was interviewing a security expert who had spent 25+ years with the FBI. He said something to the effect that "no one could have predicted this" and Koppel pointed out that someone (I think it was the Sheik who was behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing) had mentioned plans to do just that, hijack airplanes and crash them into major buildings in the U.S. <BR> <BR>This is not to say we could have guaranteed this would never happen but, from Koppel's comment, it's seems quite clear that the intent to do this was known to people in the intelligence community.

i agree w/gretchen as well (except for the get a life part) ... frankly, the fact that hijackers can take over a plane w/knives merely proves that in the future, well trained combat operatives would be able to do the same thing - the checks did work (and while our airport security isn't perfect, it worked relatively well) - no guns boarded the flights - it's onboard anti-terrorist strategies that have to be created and modified, not banning nail clippers!!! as i said previously, combat training enables one to be able to hurt flight attendants and mere passengers just as well so drawing a line on what utensils to limit is highly irrelevant

Meyer, I said this on another post, but I'll repeat it here. Aviation security experts say you cannot have a situation where pilots are unable to or not permitted to open the cockpit or leave the cockpit. Pilots must open the doors for a variety of flight reasons: checking malfunctioning landing gears, ice on the wings, engine fires and failures, cabin fires, and of course, disturbances. <BR> <BR>Personally, I think we need to resist the notion that it is the future responsibility of pilots or FAs or passengers to thwart hijackers. Trained air marshalls must be on every jet from now on. Jets don't take off without flight attendants. From now on, they also shouldn't take off without at least one trained, undercover air marshall. Both of the security experts I heard discussing this agreed that air marshalls should be the last line of defense. <BR> <BR>There ought to be a ticket surcharge to fund the air marshall program. I'd happily pay it.