Originally Posted by Bart
We've already beaten the horse to death about how knives, utility tools, etc. were allowed on board without question. The only prohibited items were guns, bombs and some knives.
Small knives, utility tools, etc. weren't allowed because FAA thought it was a good idea or did not recognize the potential threat. Rather, Congress required in law that FAA could not impose a regulation on the industry without a cost-benefit analysis. Since there had never been a death due to a small knife on U.S. aircraft, and only a couple actual hijackings with knives (which ended without any injuries), FAA could not show that the cost of the regulation was less than the benefit to be gained. FAA rules had to be approved by OMB before they could even be discussed with the industry. A rule to ban knives would have been laughed at by OMB.
Leo