Being careless at work holds a lot more weight when people’s lives are on the line, and it would seem that the Austin airport’s TSA staff in Texas made quite the big oversight. Reddit user ToughEvening1891, who was traveling from Austin to Orlando, claimed that TSA randomly selected them for a “detailed security check” but missed a huge detail: a knife.
Tough Evening says they got their pocket Higonokami knife from Japan, and it somehow went completely under the radar during a TSA check. “Went through the machine. Was in the front pocket with a vape, eye drops, lighter, and nicotine pouches,” OP wrote. This wasn’t deliberate, as Tough Evening claims they didn’t even know they still had their knife with them until after they had boarded the plane.
The reason OP had a knife on them while traveling was that it’s an EDC (everyday carry) item they take while hiking and visiting state parks. “I love the knife and am glad I didn’t lose it so I’m only mildly infuriated,” they expressed in their post. Needless to say, any sort of knife or even multi-tool are heavily regulated in carry-ons and most certainly aren’t allowed on planes. Yet, Tough Evening took theirs with them on board, with no issue.
Even though this wasn’t a test of sorts to outwit the TSA, other Redditors were still a bit annoyed at airport staff. “What kind of incompetent TSA do we have?” questioned a commenter. “They stopped me for an eyelash curler that had a metal handle,” sighed another. “Safety is an illusion,” remarked a third. A fourth jokingly called TSA “Security Theater.”
Even though Tough Evening made it to Florida with their fancy Higonokami, they weren’t going to break the law now that they knew it was in their carry-on during the flight. “The owner of the company I work for got it for me in Japan and I love it a lot. I’m probably going to mail it back home,” they promised.
