Knitting on the plane

Karen, I don't think so. Ring the airline and check. It will go in your checked luggage anyway.

I don't think knitting needles would be "taken away" from anyone. Passengers would be given the option of checking them in checked baggage, if they were not permitted in the Cabin.

American travellers should consult the TSA Website, or as Pat suggested, contact your Airline.

Karen, what's with the anti-Screener sentiment? "That way if a fickle security person tries to take them away, I have my proof. It's never happened, but I'll be ready if it does".

Screeners are not out to inconvenience or annoy anyone. They play a very important role in keeping our Skies Safer.

I think we shouldn't approach them with the attitude that they are "fickle" or "out to take from us". They don't make the rules up as they go.

It's smart to be prepared with documentation...I can agree with that!

I'm not anti-screener, and I am happy for anything that helps my odds of getting there and back safely. And I am always courteous and cooperative because i know they get so much guff for doing their jobs. It's just that training and attitudes aren't always consistent through out the system. I have had friends who were told they could not bring knitting needles into the cabin, when regulations clearly stated they may. That's why a print out a copy for my knitting bag when I fly.

Check the website of whatever ailine you're flying. There should be a link to a page that has their rules about carry on.

Attitudes about why aside (I've found most screeners amiable enough), I think carrying a list of approved items is a pretty good idea if it's something that might be questioned or is unusual. A couple weeks ago my boyfriend was stopped going through security becuase he was carrying on his boomerangs. Now, boomerangs are kind of an odd thing to have, and most people haven't seen the competetive variety so stopping him was, I think, perfectly reasonable. However, when he told the screener that they are on the approved list, the guy wouldn't beleive him, was quite rude, and wouldn't even look up the regulations. A manager had to be demanded, not requested, demanded to clear up the situation. If he'd had the list he could have just pointed it out and maybe the guy would have been more receptive to looking into the matter.

Ayla - competitve type boomerangs?????

Haha yes competitive boomerangs. They come in many different shapes, sizes, and materials from what is usually thought of as a boomerang. It is a fairly small number of people who do this but they do come from all over the country and the world. Apparently it is an increasingly popular sport in Germany. Due to the relatively small number of... boomerangers? don't really know what the correct term would be. Anyway, because of how few of them there are they end up traveling around to tournaments. There's even a global competition every two years. This year it's in Seattle, in two years it will be in Australia. It's rather an odd sport, looks odd to watch too, but I think the global aspect of it is pretty neat. He, and by extension I, have gotten to know people from Denmark to Japan to Brazil to Australia etc.

For more info check out:
www.usba.org

The Australian one I found is www.boomerang.org.au/ but Google's blocking that site currently.

Please be courteous to the person sitting next to you if you decide to take your knitting. I was on a short flight in March, and for the full hour and a half felt elbows in my side and arm from a knitter. Very annoying! I can imagine with a less patient person, or a longer (transatlantic)flight, someone might be trying to pick knitting needles out of their nose when they get to Europe.

I have always wondered that if they let you take pens and pencils why wouldn't they let someone take knitting needles. I mean they can do the same damage.

Please be aware that the final arbiter about which items are allowed on a flight is the airline itself.

The airline I work for will not permit knitting needles. As a European airline we are not regulated by FAA regulations (CAA or Civil Aviation Authority regulations apply for sure - but even those regulations state that the airline itself has the final decision ).

One of the most difficult travel situations occurs when passengers start quoting chapter and verse of FAA regulations. This does more harm than good, firstly it looks to us like the passenger is saying the USA owns the whole world, secondly it looks to us like a passenger is choosing to ignore the existance of other countries and most often it is accompanied by the statement that 'It's not like this in MY country' - to which the reply can be a little less than polite.

Now I am absolutely sure that Karen ( the original poster ) does not fall into this class of traveller. All I'm saying FAA rules don't always apply.

Abe has a valid point. I have heard many complaints about just that and have been asked to reseat Passengers as a result.

Al, one question...

If the same Screeners screen for several different Airlines, which they do, then how do they enforce different regulations for different Airlines? I ask this in regards to "the final arbitor is the Airline itself".

So knitting needles, for example, might be allowed on one Airline and not another? In that senario, each Screener would then have to cross reference your questionable item, Airline specific boarding pass with the Airline specific regulation, would they not? Is that how it works?
(I'm in Canada so there could very will be different procedures in the UK and Europe.)

Al, could you please further explain that? Thanks! :-)

Abe, my mother could certainly understand what you went through. She almost throttled a woman who spent almost the entire flight to Europe knitting! The woman kept bumping into my mother and only once apologised when mom said something. But I am sure our poster isn't going to be like that lady ;-)

I have knitted on flights to France, Ireland and Greece in the last 2 years and have never had a problem. I use bamboo circular needles usually, but have seen people with metal needles also. The screeners are more concerned with liquids at this point, but knitting needles are ok.

F/A - obviously I'm not going to post on the net anything that would give insight into how the security procedures are conducted.

I'll PM you and you can confirm that you got the PM

Al