http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-05/tsa-will-permit-knives-golf-clubs-on-u-s-planes.html

Just saw this new article, not sure if it's verified elsewhere, but Bloomberg is pretty solid. This change would start April 25th.

If this is true, that'll be great for those of us wanting a small knife without checking a bag!

If true, this will make it easier if you lock your zipper with a cable tie. Cutting one with fingernail clippers is not very easy or quick.

"The agency also is carving out two exceptions to its ban on most baseball and softball bats. It will allow souvenir, novelty baseball bats less than 24 inches long"

This will cause much joy in Louisville. The Louisville Slugger Museum gives out small replica bats as part of its tour, and they repeatedly tell you to CHECK THEM on the way home! My first trip there, I had to hastily buy a tote bag at the airport so I could check my larger bag with the bat in it and transfer my electronics and personal items to the tote.

I just measured my Spyderco Ladybug Hawkbill pocketknife.

Length: less than 2.0 inches - OK

Width: 0.75 inches at the widest spot - NOT OK.

I would suspect however that some small utility tools would now pass, including a small blade, but of course, I intentionally bought a Leatherman without one...oh well.

All my current knives are too big, too. Any examples of knives that do meet the new standard??

Further down in the article it also mentions banning locking blades. There goes most spyderco and leatherman tools. Guess I will have to be content with my Swiss Army knives.

Presumably most blades on smaller multi-tools would be allowed. The only reason one would ever need a larger blade on a plane would be to cut a steak...but, when is the last time anyone got served a STEAK in the Economy section of an airliner!?

Of greater concern tp TSA remains explosives, including those that appear to be some sort of innocent liquid. So, getting something more useful than a knife onto a flight, such as a bottle of water from the local grocery, remains forbidden. Oh...well.

Praise for new TSA rules:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2013/03/new-tsa-rules-draw-praise-of-national-arbitrariness-association.html?mbid=nl_Borowitz%20(89)

Andy Borowitz zings the new ruling.

Looks like we have a winner!!! Check out this knife...

http://www.cutleryshoppe.com/spydercohoneybeec137p-1.aspx

I just got off the phone with the Cutlery Shoppe and they say that knife handle is not molded and should pass. They also said they will be creating a section on their website with all their knives that pass the TSA rule and that will go up at the end of April when knives are permitted.

Good point, Frank.

Liikely what won't attract TSA attention is this sort of SMALL "pen" blade, as found on their Classic SDk which is made in many different colors:

http://www.swissarmy.com/us/app/product/Swiss-Army-Knives/Category/Everyday/Classic-SD/53001

By contrast, seemingly just a bit too long would be the 11 cm blades on these otherwise nice Leatherman pocket multitools, the length limit as above being 10 cm:

http://www.leatherman.com/family/multi-tools/Pocket-Size_Tools

Of course, given the extensive variations of these marketed over the years, I would expect that Leatherman may well SHORTEN the blades of this series, perhaps by turning the "clip" form of the blade to a "sheepshead," of 9.5 cm.

Actually the above discussion may be a bit pointless, since by far the most useful cutting tool to take on a trip would be a good pair of small FOLDING SCISSORS, as made in Oregon:

http://www.slipnsnip.com/

The Slip-N-Snip work very well, and remain in my toiletry kit, along with the small Uncle Bill's Tweezers I have elsewhere mentioned in a separate thread, and have never been questioned by TSA. Beyond that, until such time as my wife understands the benefits of true carry-on only, I have the option of putting any TSA questionnable item into her checked suitcase, up to and including a full-size utility tool (OK-CHEATING!)

The best thing about this for me is being able to take my favorite corkscrew along (it has a small knife blade). My wife and I occasionally have a small picnic on our trips with wine, cheese, fruit, etc. I usually ended up buying a cheap corkscrew and discarding it before the flight home.

My favorite that I've been carrying for years:

http://www.leatherman.com/product/Squirt_PS4

Leatherman has FOUR size categories: Heavy Duty, Full-Size, Pocket and Key Chain. The Squirt PS4 is in the smallest category, the blade is 1.6 inches; the next size up has blades that are 2.6 inches, a bit too long. Hmmm....I think I have a Squirt PS4...SOMEWHERE!

Perhaps the REAL issue here is that TSA wants the freedom to concentrate upon what they consider the primary threat these days....BOMBS. This morning's news had a story about a security test at Newark, where a simulated small explosive object made it past not one but two security checks. Flight attendants understandably remain opposed to the blade liberalization, as they understandably feel more threatened than do flight crew. Of course, passenger attitudes have changed since 9/11, with several instances of in-flight situations neutralized by joint passenger responses. If one wanted to be prepared to assist, having available some utility cord for restraints might be very useful.

"to conform to international rules" We're just doing it like everyone else....except for the simulated bomb Alan wrote about. It went through the scanner and a pat down. Small knives may be the least of our worries.

What about this one? It has scissors attached? Think it will pass?

http://www.cutleryshoppe.com/classicsd-alox53012.aspx

If the Victorinix Classic SD variants including the one cited just above, textured aluminum rather than plastic handle, doesn't pass, NOTHING will pass! What would NOT pass however would be the great majority of somewhat larger Swiss Army models, almost all of which have a blade longer than 6 mm (2.36".)