Markey steps up pressure against knives on planes

Setting U.S. aviation security standards based on European practices is wrong because at least two bombers have successfully boarded flights in Amsterdam and Paris, plotting to down planes bound for the United States, said United Airlines flight attendant Sara Nelson, who is also international vice president of Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.

More stringent standards in the United States have prevented armed terrorist from getting onboard aircrafts in the country, she said.

"Every single day we see disturbances onboard our aircrafts ... can you imagine involving a deadly weapon in those scenarios?" Nelson said.

Those concerns are shared by pilots, said Capt. Steve Sevier, a U.S. Airways pilot and chairman of the security committee of the U.S. Airline Pilots Association.

"The knives that were used on 9/11 were just 3/4 of an inch long — simple razor knives," he said.

TSA has said the presence on flights of gun-carrying pilots traveling as passengers, federal air marshals and airline crew members trained in self-defense provide additional layers of security to protect against misuse of the newly allowed items.

Not all flights, however, have federal air marshals or armed pilots onboard.

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Rodrique Ngowi can be reached at www.twitter.com/ngowi