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。 9 l6 \) z2 ?, H8 P0 K" i/ w+ h" H " y* X+ W6 n" A/ W3 ECigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US - D( J8 Q, A3 O4 B8 ?1 l! T+ h# xUS 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( \+ u: k$ v3 z. `% V; E- y1 [ % l$ w8 \3 Q; m b; m; U. c; kThe 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.6 ~7 d; p8 a& T i4 a* w$ d
f6 {4 M7 {% Z) X" zReid, 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.2 o5 Q) g2 [: r. M3 T+ k/ v
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US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.& I( {2 j1 v. B1 A. h% l, {1 v& Q
; U7 U6 l7 u' g, jUS 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. 5 `0 @0 i5 o0 f9 h, DMr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. # O# c4 t9 S* O' t2 G& A - V% i, K( B* L& [; O"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.( P& V9 R# u- b" _# [2 i* w
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."; k; \9 X; J' R+ }) m" _" c
' S# Y+ F2 N4 ]( R$ O, L% kThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. . ]% A$ |7 e5 ]4 ]% d, b% x* b- i5 f; }/ F: e
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.
