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。 - t& e' n2 w/ x% b0 c5 E3 p; M 1 |; G* Q& i9 }2 r
Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US ) f( ~' a* ~" F' lUS 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.. W/ g% [' T8 I9 L8 m
; _: }# S( f4 E, nThe 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. ( i( j% i$ Q; I! ~; F5 m$ ` 4 |1 v( L' c. k( l$ u5 }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.: u% h* T5 r; H# k8 A% }3 C; l
9 H- }! A% O% T$ a- f' M2 ^US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. , j5 ]. U0 e0 F. `/ E* G2 ~5 @( F! X5 J+ r! |
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.4 M- }* i; L" m' @; F
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. : a" M6 ?% w! z9 L " v' [ ^! |+ E# ?( B% Z& F! K4 W"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. ; k# w. p- [7 C3 f4 P$ L5 N1 `! r" J' _ {! U1 M
"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."3 Y$ O3 z( K$ z. O
% M# O1 o+ B8 k3 |! ?7 [The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.3 \! V8 E- t& K$ t; V. q
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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.
