WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Transportation Security Administration says it will allow airline passengers to take small tools on planes but will increase random passenger checks.
Announcing changes Friday in screening procedures at airports, the TSA said it will also increase the thoroughness of pat-down searches, reports CNN.
Under new rules, passengers can carry scissors less than 4 inches long and tools less than 7 inches long. The new rules, designed to give screeners more time on detecting explosives, will still prohibit knives and some tools.
In pat-down procedures, screeners will check arms and legs below the mid-thigh in addition to backs and abdomens done currently. The level of random screening will be increased to keep any would-be terrorists off guard but passengers won't be selected for random searches based on race, age, religion or nationality.
Some members of Congress expressed reservations. Noting that the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers used box cutters, Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said: "Flight attendants and passengers should not be put in a situation where ... sharp scissors can be taken apart and used as a weapon at the throat of flight attendants and passengers."
