Session Will Focus On TSA's Recently-Revised Knife Policy, Other Safety Issues

The Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions, representing nearly 90,000 flight attendants, welcomed news from the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security of an upcoming hearing titled: "TSA's Efforts to Advance Risk-Based Security: Stakeholder Perspectives." The hearing is scheduled to be held on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 1:00pm.

In a letter to subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson, the Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions requested the opportunity to testify on the hearing's witness panel regarding the critical functions flight attendants perform in the day-to-day effort to secure America's aviation system and the role flight attendants should play in the formation of transportation security policy. In a hearing last month, TSA Administrator John Pistole attempted to defend his decision to allow knives and other dangerous items on board U.S. airplanes beginning April 25. In his testimony, Mr. Pistole admitted that he "could have done a better job bringing [stakeholders] in earlier" to TSA's decision-making process.

As first responders and the last line of defense against acts of terrorism and violence aboard the aircraft, flight attendants are critical stakeholders in transportation security policy. However, the TSA's decision to allow small knives through security for the first time since the attacks of 9/11 was made without their input. The Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions strongly supports the subcommittee's effort to finally bring these stakeholders into the policy-making process.

The Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions coordinates on issues of mutual interest to flight attendants. Members of the Coalition are the Association of flight attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), Association of Professional flight attendants (APFA), Transport Workers Union (TWU), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). Together, the Coalition represents 90,000 flight attendants.

FMI: http://homeland.house.gov/subcommittee-TS, www.tsa.gov,