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。 6 w+ F }8 ~( p2 U" [* x ^' g 2 `; A5 {7 P5 ~: v) l8 Q5 M. }
Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US' o* i/ t. `; ^! z: b
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., a6 |# H+ `. _0 p% y8 t2 k# V
; k( u7 u- N" i( j# W8 ~# Z6 oThe 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 r7 R' ?' v# [3 [% Q9 x 0 _ H) u2 e& D- U" mReid, 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.6 K$ Q; N9 O% e2 C0 O! x+ Z
* i& B5 s7 v( ]+ k4 h5 L4 vUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights./ z- a/ A( C0 W, E, b5 z$ y
. U* }$ o1 ]6 i5 B3 x7 N$ I" i& xUS 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.. d) m1 s+ V8 ^# `
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. ' b7 W/ d! h- {* r6 F6 X+ u2 }6 Z3 ?) ~5 E" F
"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. 2 H2 r2 d# {* C0 F( i c ~5 m3 F% o"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."0 M' \5 i) H2 r! M- u
5 n, z- F4 f4 [5 c; mThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. . X: C/ ^; u0 f . D* [- D( Y( ^( E9 KThe 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.
