[国际新闻] 美国撤除禁令8月起可带打火机上飞机

日月光

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。- M# |# j1 p, p5 z# s% h9 N6 [$ B
$ @* I/ ~1 a; j/ X/ D' u6 r5 A* s0 S6 K
Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US  m8 V. n: ]8 U% F+ S2 S( n4 S
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.
' a- J# D5 v7 s" L) d4 q! Crs238848.rs.hosteurope.de; b- L# f  d' }1 U0 T) `9 _
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.$ ~' ]- y! g, q- c
( T% `0 L' Q# A4 I
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.8 s, F) S0 C' c: w
2 u- }% _4 {3 ?# T3 C6 U$ b. Y% f+ C
US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.0 H$ q2 w' y7 u$ H' v$ N
  P! h) M; j$ t9 _8 e/ |4 x
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.人在德国 社区( }2 F: ]# ?: M8 C+ R
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.$ a! F4 q% l" \9 ?7 U% {5 h
- _3 z& j; M3 Q1 W0 q
"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de& @# H) k# b4 L' ?! ]+ ^

& S* C/ k# M  }' `& f$ [5 d% y"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that.", x  }" Z2 R+ F) b$ b

8 V7 S+ y3 F7 q; yrs238848.rs.hosteurope.deThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.人在德国 社区- o% P. {2 G2 y, s
: W5 `! p* I! m- q2 {8 }5 C- G! y
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.