Contrary to
popular belief, it is perfectly
legal to carry a folding
pocketknife through
airport security in the
United States. Federal Aviation Administration (
FAA) regulations state simply that pocketknives with blades of longer than 4
inches must be transported in checked baggage. The FAA also states that Alaskan Ulu knives of any size may not be passenger-carried.
The FAA has set a minimum standard and individual airlines are free to implement stricter standards if they so choose. Generally, you should contact your airline before attempting to fly with a questionable pocketknife to inquire about their guidelines. With that warning, here are the most common guidelines followed by US airlines today:
- Blades must be no longer than 4 inches (some airlines specify a 3-inch maximum).
- Blades must not be serrated.
- Some airlines ban knives with black colored blades on the grounds that these knives are menacing.
Recently, ceramic knives have become all the rage with the crowd of people who like to carry knives covertly. There are several major knife companies (Boker, for instance) that manufacture folding pocketknives with ceramic blades and non-metallic handles (usually plastic) that could theoretically make it through airport security undetected. This is probably not a good thing to try however, since most of these knives may contain enough metal in the bolt and locking mechanism to be detected, and if you are detected with a "stealth" knife of this sort you will most likely have a few questions to answer.