Well, the new rules lasted about a day or so. As I stated, a knee-jerk reaction that only resulted in screwing the passengers who flew in the last 24 hours or so. According to the article I read, captain's descretion now will prevail in whether or not passengers can behave as before, i.e., move about the cabin within the last hour of flight, have pillows/blankets during same time, etc. If they get a grumpy captain that wont allow it, people will complain. I can't see this as a good policy either. The TSA really need someone in charge who can make an informed, educated decision and create policy that will be safe for all and have commen sense. I see things haven't changed since I've left.
Here is a small snip of the article I linked.
"
You are now free to move about the cabin. Or not. After a two-day security clampdown prompted by a thwarted attempt to bomb a jetliner, some airline officials told The Associated Press that the in-flight restrictions had been eased. And it was now up to captains on each flight to decide whether passengers can have blankets and other items on their laps or can move around during the final phase of flight.
Confused? So were scores of passengers who flew Monday on one of the busiest travel days of the year. On some flights, passengers were told to keep their hands visible and not to listen to iPods. Even babies were frisked. But on other planes, security appeared no tighter than usual.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091229/...nger_confusion