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 L1 f: x* t u# k/ ^; N. G , |, p0 x' t* R
Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US) E6 b+ V% Y9 _+ ^
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. 3 G$ }: `- [6 W' g% c u7 W1 K3 n
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. / z8 H" f0 X; x: V5 q. X# A6 E+ H4 ]( M% T' B; D- B& w& J
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. . @) M- n9 _ {7 G- h ' H( D2 N, B1 r; U, |9 ?% Y. N7 aUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.2 j: @! D- P8 W l) H- u
! p9 r+ m+ M8 ^5 W5 }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. ) {8 c4 N+ c$ a) Z( @3 p/ v+ xMr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.) X" a6 N. j) V* |
- [- V/ U5 ?$ t3 q- z+ e"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. 8 y6 Q( P2 n, H( l/ i. F s$ f . F( t9 G3 e3 C3 ]- k"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that." 1 N A' i; l Z: ?* z- D" ^5 s m& g9 S* C. u
The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. . V3 y. v- [1 r 6 L# K+ X& U, R8 _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.
