SpyderEdgeForever wrote:That is a very good point, about those statistics. You know what I find interesting, infact? I have spoken with people who absolutely refuse to fly because of fear or two main issues: 1 terrorist attack and 2 plane mishaps/crashes. These same people instead choose to use ground based transports like busses and trains, and yet, statistically, as you yourself pointed out, there are many, many more road accidents than air related deaths. When I brought this up, the response was simply this: All it takes is that one plane to lose engine power, and at least in a bus or car you're on the ground.
Question about the TSA security matters: Do passengers have the confidence that as long as you put the knife in your CHECKED baggage, it is safe, and there is no need to be concerned that they will go through there and take it, or, have there been cases where people placed knives in checked baggage, and they were taken?
Stats:
Chances of dying in a plane crash: 1 in 1.5 million (Increases to a staggering 1 in 5 million if you exclude flying locally South East Asia and South America where little planes and big mountains make a bad mix. That 1 in 5 million is the same if your flying long haul to and from SEA and South America)
102,000 flights take off and land without incident
every day - that's 8 million people flying daily.
Chances of dying in a car crash: 1 in 5000....Most dangerous part of flying? The cab ride to the airport
The underlying fear of flying is about the loss of control and the fear of the unknown- but mainly we aren't in control of our own destiny.....How many of us are nervous car passengers despite the risk being identical to when it's us behind the wheel?
{NOTE: that's not to minimize anyone with a genuine phobia- Phobias defy any rational explanation and go straight to the hindbrain. You don't get a choice about your phobias, that I know for sure}
On the TSA question- If the knife you are packing in your hold luggage breaks a local law it will get you pulled out of line on landing.
Be aware if you are changing airline, whatever knife you choose will need to 100% legal at every place you land- factor that in if you're changing flights in NYC.
I've never had a knife taken- but I did have a very nice Dunhill leather belt disappear between Manila MNL and Birmingham BHX.
Valuables in hold luggage are a very bad idea.
I've said in a number of places on here:
Pack a knife in the hold luggage by all means- but be sure it is well within whatever the local laws are (Like- if it's 3" carry then go with 2.75" to be sure) AND pick an easy to replace one if it does get yoinked.....Something like a basic current-mode Delica or Endura will cause less heartache on finding it gone than that numbered sprint-run carbon fibre Police that took you 3 years to find in the first place.