4 ~0 c) F- m. I; |7 v& wCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US 8 f' n: s: N. YUS 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. # G; {& D/ \0 h1 z9 s- L0 ^3 u3 {3 W& Z% E3 [8 q4 G
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. z# u9 u D9 z+ t
4 p3 a! P K6 }! A+ Z- h3 K/ A: rReid, 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.9 V" |9 F9 n) s2 J# {+ a
. M7 x) R' s/ {( e. gUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights., h+ K' e1 X5 \& W$ x! d& Z
& X% o" L$ G0 u5 mUS 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.. o. ^' c& g' v5 C% W2 D3 T
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.. d1 R4 q1 i4 p
( M" a4 n$ t' p' |"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. ; ^0 ~# ~# e, J; E5 R) \$ V9 J 2 m" \. F Y0 ~) g"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that." - Q5 U1 T2 }2 c- Q 5 Y# W2 K5 u- SThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. 5 x- w0 v: p: f+ z7 A; x* o j$ N' R" }2 j' Z1 w2 K
The 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.
