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。 ( |0 p9 Z9 p' L; e$ K3 p 0 l+ g8 F9 I$ CCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US 6 M3 u+ O! C' z3 E# J/ _. t, H7 oUS 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.8 [) R u" r! F: N5 D
/ \+ c- o: i" e) u$ eThe 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.3 o' W) g0 Q, n- y, u: f
& v5 }; x1 f5 ~; ?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.% G1 R' r e3 R. \
4 Z9 M ?6 ~/ B7 qUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.9 T, U: L4 b i6 y2 J' X0 V: W+ [
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US 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. + H4 f2 P1 F7 ~& M6 A& q/ H+ R3 `Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.+ c* D/ d! I' a5 x
, C4 X5 o6 N; R8 v/ b5 `1 O2 ^"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. + e7 r8 D9 s: N4 p( r; ~3 U. i 0 y' S7 i( H; X Z1 m/ |"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that." . N- R* u m8 O0 W7 `. v 8 j# s. ]0 u0 F3 AThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.0 C" j9 x, p& F. D9 d
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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.
