TSA Rule Change May Have Inadvertently Shut Down Toronto's International Terminal

Toronto's Pearson airport grounded international flights early Saturday morning, after a pocket knife was discovered in a passenger's carry-on luggage. The passenger was likely on his way to the U.S., where the Transportation Security Administration has recently authorized rules that say passengers are allowed to bring such items on the plane in their carry-on bags. 

The incident happened at 7:52 a.m., according to Canada's CBC News. The regional police force, the Peel Police, responded to the incident, which the Greater Toronto Airport Authority is calling security breach. Between the discovery of the knife in the passenger's carry-on bag and 9:15 a.m., all flights from Terminal 1, where international flights depart, including flights to the U.S., were grounded.

Peel police were called to the scene, and the pocket knife was handed over to the flight crew, thought it's unspecified what specifically occasioned the nearly hour and a half delay for flights. No arrests were made.

"The laws in the U.S. have changed to allow pocket knives on planes," Thomas Rattan, the constable of the Peel Police said to CBC News. "However they are not allowed on Canadian planes." "It's not uncommon. It doesn't happen quite that often though," said Natalie Mohamed, an official for the Greater Toronto Airport Authority. "We have a good working relationship with the Peel police and they're always quick to respond, so it does not often affect operations."

Rule Change

On Tuesday March 5, the TSA loosened its carry-on rules, allowing knives shorter than 6 centimeter and thinner than ½ an inch wide on U.S. airline flights. Switchblades, locking knives, or other knives that have a fixed or locking blade were still not permitted, along with razor blades and box cutters. Other sports equipment, which was previously forbidden on planes, was allowed as well. These included toy bats, ski poles, hockey sticks, and pool cues.

The rule change was welcome to some, but brought on complaints based on safety concerns from flight attendants and other airline employees.