We’ve seen the ridiculous new airline security rules and we’ve explained how to cope with them, but now the TSA is easing up and allowing pilots to make the final call on things, including allowing live TV and pillows again.
https://gizmodo.com/leaked-homeland-securitys-post-underwear-bomb-airplane-5435188
Apparently an anonymous source told Reuters that
The TSA will now let pilots decide whether to allow passengers to keep items in their laps or require them to remain seated during portions of the flight [and that the TSA] will let pilots and airlines determine whether in-flight entertainment systems that show a plane’s location should be turned off to avoid a security risk.
The NY Times has confirmed this claim with Gale D. Rossides, the acting director of the Transportation Security Administration, who says that “her agency had given airline captains discretion in determining when passengers could move about the cabin during a flight and whether they could have blankets or pillows on their laps.”
Rossides also remarked that more “changes in security measures will take place in coming days,” so who knows who’ll be calling the shots about pillows and blankets a few days down the line.
What we know for now is that JetBlue already appears to be turning their in-flight entertainment systems back on and letting pilots make some decisions, so let’s enjoy that news for now while we sort out whether it’s still time to fire the TSA. [Reuters via Business Insider via CrunchGear]
https://gizmodo.com/president-obama-its-time-to-fire-the-tsa-5435675
