The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it will temporarily delay a policy that would allow passengers to carry small knives, bats and other sports equipment onto airlines.

According to the TSA Monday, the delay is necessary to accommodate feedback from an advisory committee made up of aviation industry, consumer, and law enforcement officials.

The proposed policy, put forward by TSA Administrator John Pistole last month, suggested that passengers should be allowed to carry folding knives with blades 2.36 inches or shorter and less than half an inch wide, as well as pool cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks, golf clubs and novelty-size bats.

It aimed at helping the TSA divert attention to more serious threats, because nearly 2,000 folding knives from passengers are confiscated every day.

"All knives should be banned from planes permanently," said a coalition of unions representing 90,000 flight attendants nationwide on Monday in a statement.

"If there is an opportunity to decrease risks to Americans, we have a duty to protect our citizens and disallow knives from being taken onto planes." said Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., another opponent.

Passengers were forbidden from carrying the small knives onto planes after the 9/11.

(Agencies)