I’ll be headed to Hawaii in a few months and I was wondering if they allowed knitting accoutrement in the cabin. I’d like to be able to work on my projects on the 9hr flight. I’m sure scissors are out, but what about knitting needles?
Thanks!
Dorothy in Omaha (soon to be Honolulu!)
First of all, scissors aren’t out. There are lots of posts about this already on the forums if you do a quick search (I know there’s at least one post that’s been extremely active in the past 24 hours) and also search online for the TSA guidelines.
Short answer, TSA says they’re okay. If you want more details, there are lots of places to check on this forum and other websites.
This is a common topic and someone just posted about it. Here’s what was said in her thread.
http://forum.knittinghelp.com/t/airline-help?t=77170
yup - knitting needles are okay on planes. you can get the latests info on what’s ok or not from the horse’s mouth (i.e. the TSA)
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm
scroll down, knitting and crochet needles are ok for carry on.
Thanks! Teaches me to post late at night, eh?
Just be prepared to mail them if for some reason you get a security officer who thinks you “look” too dangerous to have them. Because I found out that even though the TSA guidelines say that you can, if the security guard who is getting you through the checkpoint doesn’t think you should have them, then you can’t have them. Showing them the TSA guidelines doesn’t work. And no, their supervisor will NOT allow them, if their guard says no.
This happens more on international flights than inter-state.
Oh how I wish knitting needles were allowed on planes in Australia. I flew interstate a few days ago - a one hour flight - and had a tiny nail file I’d accidentally left in my purse, confiscated. There’s no way knitting needles and scissors are allowed.
I had to laugh as a young woman wandering through the departure lounge, clad in black leather and metal, was wearing the highest stiletto boots and the sharp heels were shiny silver metal. I also saw disposal units for “sharps” - why are the “sharps” allowed through when knitting needles aren’t?
So, can anyone suggest an alternative to knitting needles? In September we’re flying by Qantas to Vancouver, cruising to Alaska and Hawaii, and flying home to Australia from Honolulu. Being without my knitting through all those idle air hours! I can’t even bear to think about it. I’m not an in-flight entertainment sort of person, and there is only so much reading I would want to do, I NEED to knit! I’ve even been eyeing off pencils lately but can’t see them doing a particularly good job of knitting… I mainly knit sportweight, baby clothes. Does anyone have any bright ideas of a way round this?
I’m wondering if flying out of Honolulu I’d be allowed to take my knitting, even though it would be an Australian bound flight?
Just to double check the policy, I looked up the Qantas website and found this -
[COLOR=“Magenta”]Governments have directed that for security reasons, all knives, sharp objects or cutting implements of any kind and any length, whether of metal or other material, and some sporting goods, must be packed in your checked baggage. They cannot be carried in your cabin baggage or on your person.
Sharp objects or cutting implements include but are not limited to: any knife, including paper knives, carpet knives, box cutters, letter openers, scissors of any kind, tradesman’s tools, screwdrivers, corkscrews, darts and knitting needles.
‘Sporting goods’ include but are not limited to: sporting bats, billiard/snooker/pool cues, catapults.
If you are carrying any such items, they must be packed in your checked baggage. If you try to carry them in your cabin baggage or on your person, the airport screening services will remove them. They will not be returned to you.[/COLOR]
That’s pretty final, isn’t it? :waah:
You could try putting your hair up with chopsticks. Of course chopsticks that just happen to be sized for your yarn and have the tips shaped properly.
Maybe take up hand knitting?
You dont need needles makes a tube like knitting
Be aware though that not all airports have the ability to mail something. I took a self addressed stamped envelope and asked at the time if they hadn’t accepted would I be able to mail and they said no. Huh.
I was wondering about that–I’ve read that advice over and over, but here in Atlanta, while there IS a post office at the airport, it is outside the security area. So…once you run into a problem and need to mail something, I can’t see how you would do it. Would they let you leave the security area with banned objects in an envelope??? And would you miss your flight if you had to stand in line all over again?
I do think it’s ridiculous that the guidelines say it’s okay, but a security guard can overrule the guidelines. We’re supposed to be equal under the law, and I think that should apply to TSA guidelines as well!!!