So they found a boxcutter on a cross-country flight, fully loaded with fuel, departing from Logan Airport in Boston on the night of the president’s State of the Union speech. No one seems to know how it got there and why. A passenger in first class found it in the seat back pocket as she boarded. So what was it doing there? Did someone on the previous flight board with it in their bag, somehow getting it past security, not realizing it was there, and then panic when they found it? Did an airline or airport workman leave it there?
But according to the story above, the different security people can’t even agree on what was found. One guy says it was an awl, another says it was a utility knife. Those things don’t even look remotely similar. What’s going on?
Some people are calling for ramp workers to go through security searches. What good does that do if he is carrying tools for his job? Are we going to say airplane mechanics and even maintenance people can’t carry anything sharp? You can’t eliminate every risk, every potential weapon. This is why I think pilots should be armed, but even more so, some flight attendants should be replaced by big, burly security guards. I’m only half-joking when I say imagine if “Terry Tate” was an “airline linebacker.” No little knife would stop him.
