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。 # c l' A7 d) k; R) w8 i 1 A* s5 u6 T M/ p* x- X! D4 H* OCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US 9 D2 k+ m# H8 z9 Z7 jUS 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.7 B) m' }2 M9 q) W: K# m _ \
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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.( A) U" b$ [" S/ H! 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. j9 c7 ~9 r2 z" h8 N5 m0 n. d1 A
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US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.9 b+ D: ~! E! n9 H7 s
$ F0 U, D& j' M" T# c4 V+ X) q0 }9 KUS 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.0 O; X% z$ q5 `0 q# K
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. 2 C( l C; P t# G' D: v' h) [" k6 k! ]- L' `' a6 `: V
"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. 9 B9 v% B* Y4 S$ @/ t; H y ' M. ~ h1 D. }' u"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."5 J' N6 H% S8 D& s3 L' c- \/ j
6 o( x5 E" ~/ o3 lThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.1 L* ~1 C1 ^. q+ y
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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.
