. . ., much of the attention has been focused on relaxing the ban on relatively innocuous things like screwdrivers. But as frequent fliers have been saying since not long after 9/11, you’ll have to pity the next idiot who tries to hijack an airplane with nothing more than a sharp object. Mr. Hawley alluded to that attitude shift in his comments Friday, noting ”the high likelihood that in the event of terrorist activity on an aircraft without an air marshal, passengers will take action.”
JOE SHARKEY. ” ON THE ROAD; Get Ready, Frequent Fliers, For the ‘Random’ Pat-Down.” The New York Times (Tues., December 6, 2005): C8.