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。 5 A( m+ T' z+ n 1 O7 b$ I4 q# }; P9 W7 NCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US . F2 F. d/ V9 c3 k8 g9 D3 J& {! ^1 hUS 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.& ]# j9 r; r2 ]. [8 p: ?
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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." V( |4 @9 |. _% I+ `8 G4 V
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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. $ r7 l f) k1 d- K 1 \: ]7 o) b6 }6 UUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. ( Q' q& R; e F1 Q5 c/ z' w0 Z, {( m) {$ ]5 \) O/ F
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. ' O1 f( B/ k4 WMr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts." K% R( Z1 E+ R z
5 z! _$ ~$ I( {, h- K"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.+ O( e5 T V3 H* }& r
5 P, ?5 C+ s0 H! |& Z"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that." " C2 B6 \% y: ]6 U' t7 _$ R3 y8 i1 M8 M& }7 J/ F0 Q
The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.9 [- M6 K& v# S' I% [' p4 s9 r* 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.
