美国政府决定从8月4日开始，停止施行已经两年，禁止乘客带普通打火机上飞机的政策。美国运输部认为，在乘客登机前搜索他们身上是否携带打火机，根本是浪费时间。 2001年当鞋子炸弹客芮德意图在从巴黎飞往迈阿密的班机上，用火柴引燃藏在鞋子里的炸弹後，美国政府在国会的坚持之下，终於宣布了禁带打火机上机的命令。- U" p3 T/ f& x1 C
4 }" S3 W3 o. Y X3 }Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US5 ~* a% `% e# M' T; a
US authorities will no longer enforce a two-year-old ban against taking cigarette lighters on planes because searching passengers wasted time and did not improve aviation security, the New York Times reports.3 @5 e$ E, ^6 B
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The ban on lighters was ordered by US lawmakers after a passenger, Richard Reid, tried to ignite a bomb in his shoe in 2001 on a flight from Paris to Miami. ! ^2 ^3 x; N( h5 l/ i! i# S! e ) p. E# t/ F$ f3 H' y0 H( cReid, known as the "shoe bomber", had used matches to try to ignite explosives concealed in his shoe and is currently serving a life sentence for trying to blow up the transatlantic flight.& d, [$ b3 \, q9 b
! N) b! z( t6 P- tUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. 7 }1 A/ ]/ i# s [2 B" w: n0 G ' I- B( {4 O/ @( K: I1 NUS Transport Security Administration assistant secretary Kip Hawley says the ban on lighters did not significantly enhance security because small batteries could be used to detonate a bomb.) ?' w, m) `4 o
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.( x) O# ~$ w4 @9 `4 h
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. 5 C( K$ p0 k- o% n# P$ W- O# q4 F8 _: Q j% O% o# [
"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."% S4 T& [, A( F3 D8 `
( q' S- O$ a$ W; U) Q" dThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. 9 R' p3 f0 Z& {9 K6 [ - y. N& L+ }+ S" u/ o; YThe New York Times says some 22,000 lighters a day are collected by security officers at airports across the United States and disposing of the confiscated lighters has cost about $US4 million a year.
