[国际新闻] 美国撤除禁令8月起可带打火机上飞机

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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。( C7 t" t  l( ~2 x" T$ D. {5 \

/ L% d3 ~1 I9 @+ `  m+ ?* ars238848.rs.hosteurope.deCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US. _9 N- n. [0 v5 R. U! }
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.
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9 s% x& N% L) U1 ~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.: @; f, R- L" [6 N- p$ @. n
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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.
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US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.
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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.
& t% p% ^+ w- ~人在德国 社区Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.7 B+ |8 a4 G: u3 S0 e
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."人在德国 社区5 l* k2 k4 r" ~: O0 T& x$ M

1 K* b6 z) D# j4 V% u* nThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.! a$ @, X1 }: K3 A" i; U: ~- {
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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.