Flight Attendants Protest At Charlotte Airport Against Knives In The Passenger Cabin

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Flight Attendants will hold a press conference Thursday, May 16 at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to continue to engage the traveling public in efforts to keep the aircraft cabin free of knives that have been used as weapons. According to a recent Washington Post article "now the chatter is that the TSA may decide to put the new rules into effect over the Memorial Day weekend." TSA officers have expressed concern not only with the dangers of allowing knives in the security checkpoints and beyond, but also noted that these new procedures would slow security lines.  

The TSA's delayed policy to allow knives into the aircraft cabin has been opposed by Flight Attendants, gate agents, TSA officers, air marshals, law enforcement officers, FBI agents, pilots, passengers, 9/11 families and airlines. Last week nine organizations representing 400,000 members of these groups filed a legal petition with the TSA in opposition to permitting knives in the cabin, reserving their right to take legal action against implementation. Flight Attendants, including the 60,000 represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), have opposed the ill-advised plan from the start and remain resolute: No Knives on Planes Ever Again. www.NoKnivesOnPlanes.com

Flight Attendants have also been pushing for passage of The No Knives Act of 2013 to legislate a permanent ban on knives in the passenger cabin. Flight Attendants are issuing a public plea to Congress, including North Carolina's Congressman Richard Hudson, to support the legislation and keep the traveling public safe.  Congressman Hudson's support would be key to passage in the House since he serves as chairperson of the Transportation Security Subcommittee on the Homeland Security Committee.

Flight Attendant leaders from US Airways will speak at the event and will be joined by representatives of other key aviation stakeholders:

Press Conference "No Knives, Ever Again"
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
Baggage Claim, Zone E
Across from International Arrivals
May 16, 2013, 12:00 pm Eastern Time

The Association of Flight Attendants is the world's largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 67 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 60,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.

SOURCE Association of Flight Attendants