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。 " |; G8 g. v8 m- z8 ]% D! I # a# R3 _9 l. r+ Q! m' J" F1 a2 P) gCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US 6 r/ \- u' t/ u3 g" TUS 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.. a: w, b( }( D+ u) ~9 r
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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.* t& E. ^* i! i8 }
* p e, |2 R2 @& a. p6 g4 e% U5 ]3 E, NReid, 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. ' ^. R+ `& f% ?) D9 o2 @* }5 s+ k) h8 X+ `* g
US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.0 l' J! i6 l* r+ }9 g9 b& n
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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. 9 q/ c( f+ O7 |4 p2 b. }/ IMr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. " H: L0 t! [7 ?) L/ T" ~/ P% b' Z! S% Z# P( s
"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. ; F9 l- v8 O4 W: H# x+ H; j: J! e5 c8 I, g# S! O f
"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that." 0 z/ b) r( u7 G, [- J; V. b, {' b' ?& Y" c' l( E
The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. x! N' p8 h" w q/ {% i& ?1 A% ]) g4 K3 l8 BThe 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.
