In other words they are too damn lazy to do it.

I thought the very thing; legally, they are the possessions of the airline passenger; although most people know what to bring and what not to bring, mistakes happen. If they were my items and were confiscated, I would gladly pay for the postage to have them returned to me.

You should be applauded for your idea. Good for you.

I used to fly out of DFW and 5 or 6 years ago there were envelopes that passengers could use to mail these small items to yourself. I haven't flown much lately but it may be that this was an idea that was, in fact, tried but turned out to not be that successful so was abandoned. Or, perhaps for some reason it is only available at certain airports. I don't know it is was TSA sponsored or something the airline did.

Did you work in Phoenix? Because if not, then that suggestion was probably made in every major city airport all over the United States and was equally shot down in each city, I heard it in 2002 myself and I was in the first TSA graduating class after 9/11.

Of course it's unworkable, that means the TSA couldn't pocket the things they want or keep all this extra money. I watched a documentary on the TSA and airport security places and the TSA gathers BARRELS of nail clippers and the most BIZARRE stuff they confiscate from passengers. I would still like to know how someone hijacks a plane with a pair of nail clippers. There are some things which obviously should not be allowed on any flight. These are guns, knives, etc. But some of the things, like nail clippers, are just a sign of massive overcompensation and show the lack of common sense among those who make the rules. I'm still trying to understand how they took control of planes with box cutters. Yes, they can definitely cut someone but unlike a gun several large men should be able to take down a person with a box cutter. Thankfully now we've learned NOT to be cooperative and just do what these people want. If the all of crews and passengers had fought back on that horrible day knowing what was happening life might be very different now. So that brings me back to the original question, just how do you hijack a plane with a nail clipper? Don't you think several passengers would be able to control someone and get it away from them?

Anything that makes sense is "unworkable" when you're dealing with bureaucracy. That's because they've compiled a list of "rules", both to justify their jobs, and to account for their actions. If common sense solutions are presented, they never fit into those "lists". You can apply that across the board, all the way to our national government and how it "works".

Cleveland Hopkins at one time had a "Postal Service" to mail these type of items back to yourself.......$30 - $80 and more. Some "entrapraneur" that had influence tried this price gouging tactic.

I used to wonder why they didn't just put those things in a staffed display kiosk at the exit, so that people who had given up their nail files at the previous airport could purchase a replacement at the destination for a buck or two, helping pay for the worker to staff the kiosk and giving a more immediate replacement for the implement that was relinquished rather than making the person have to seek out a store in an unfamiliar town where another could be purchased. Bureaucrats - whether they're in government or business or whatever - are too dense to figure out problems ahead of time, let alone solutions to those problems that will head off the possibility of increasing burdens on already overburdened fellow human beings.

many years ago took a flight out of the RENO/TAHOE airport...had my deseased husbands money clip with a small nail file and sissors (1")...they took it away from me but offered me a padded envelope and let me send it to myself...was very greatful for that :)

Interesting, that is exactly what they offered for me to do when I had my souvenir lighter from Washington DC. .... although the cost to mail my lighter back to myself would have cost me over $20 and I would have missed my flight. I surrendered the lighter to the agent, my displeasure noted, the agent took my lighter and said he was going to put it in the "safe", walked over to another area where there appeared to be some type of "safe", he opened it up and then closed it, but while he was walking away, I could see him place the lighter in his pocket. I am not saying that all agents are like this, but THIS one was.