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。) `! q: H1 I+ }+ z
3 G" Z9 A/ C* `* s F! aCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US, z: q8 D& F% C3 Q9 R; t
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. - d/ t2 z* w) I8 e" N, k! T. s+ C* [' h
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.8 l/ u5 Z& X/ J0 O Z# U& L
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Reid, 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.) a- |, q& X2 [$ L1 a
" _% {8 Y+ E1 e% @2 t: O, w1 n5 qUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. - s) `1 m: _0 k3 O- n4 C: c 5 A& n0 i4 f0 q# l2 k* jUS 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. 4 `! r) i+ a. |Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts./ P1 P. e' c6 Z% }
0 Y2 M1 k8 z4 X6 O"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. * Z4 z+ W* I. O3 D/ R: Z7 E+ M7 _4 j+ R, r* `% F/ G# t
"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that." # Y7 v5 U- Y: h8 B; K3 z& l2 q. m, U5 u: \1 f
The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.9 ?$ G0 P7 A/ I/ S. o" q
; Z( H' k* z- ~3 K( 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.
