TSA Backs Off Some New In-Flight Restrictions

Two days after implementing stiff restrictions on carry-on items and in-flight entertainment, the TSA relaxed the new rules today, airline sources tell MSNBC. Passengers will be allowed to have blankets on their laps and leave their seats during the final hour of a flight, use electronic devices, and watch TV on flights that offer it.

The clamp-down had drawn widespread criticism even as passengers submitted to the amped-up rules and tough new screening procedures that delayed many flights. "TSA has a long history with the flying public of little communication, scant explanation and seemingly mind-boggling rules," cautioned Scott McCartney, who blogs about business travel for the Wall Street Journal. "The same mistakes are repeating."
(More Transportation Security Administration stories.)