Nightly News | March 14, 2013
>>> lot of heat forhose new and relaxed rus tt woul aow knives d thing like golf clubs and hockey sticks back o airplanes. that would be a post 9/11 first. a lot of peoe haveomeut againsit including fligh atndants, pilots, air marshas and some ts screers. the bossf the tsa was cled capitolill todayo answer for it. tom costello cover aviation r us. he's with us tonight from rgan natial and one of the tsa chkpoints. tom, good evenin
>> reporter: hi, brn. goodevening. e tsa confiscates small pocket knives like this every day. they sate takes u time and they ouldill looking more intentlyor explosiv. manyeople say there shouldn't a trade-off. on citolilloday unions representing air mahalls, airline employees and flight attendants demanded the t drop its plan to allow small knives on commerciaflight a knife like ts is a weapon andt dsn't belg on an ailane.
>> rorte the unis claim to represent 90,000 flight atndants but the ts chi said he never consulted wh any flight attennts bore changing the kniferule.
>> i could have done a better job of briing them in earlie
>> reporter: the backlash of the knife policy has gro to employ ery player. threeajorairlines, u.s. airway amerin an delta, pose aowingmall knives on ard. sooes the union representing the tss o screening offirs.
>> i just don't belve that there is a pce for kniveor weapons of any kind on ailane
>> reporter: but the agency insists since cockpit drs are no reinforced small knives don't pe a threat. th tshiefhowed a video to make the point.
>> his is the kind of devic i want our secity officers lookin for.
>> reporter: thebama administtion tsa is getting support for t new list of what's allowed from some republican lawmakers.
>> i want to commend y on this list you he come o with would like for i to be a littlelong, but you have made a good start.
>> reporter: while some democrats are threatening legislatioto block the new les.
>> this tsa knife poly wi not flyith e amerin pele. weill not rest uil america's flight attendants , pilots, r marshas, a pasngers ar protected. but tonigh despite the uproar the tsa sayt is sticking with the new knife policy. mr.pistole said consulted inteally wh air marshalls and screenersut they e now opposed tohe plan and so are a lot of pilots. brian?
>> tom costello at reagan internatnal airport for us nigh thanks.