[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。% j  {1 N. ~1 Y
1 g: {9 O* U0 o! l
Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US1 @1 [7 s7 C: _7 E
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.
9 G0 ?4 `7 q" ]( U. C/ \, A' O1 B- x! Q5 ~* \; {5 H
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.
9 Y% E5 D9 L# L1 c7 ^, V7 H% e  k% Y! o* H+ P9 Q7 I! P# 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.
5 a" M( T4 P  y1 l/ q% X1 T% u* _+ w$ D) L$ ^$ L) G+ H9 Z" k; v0 ]
US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.) j5 a  y% @$ R# X* P. @
% B5 w! e! g; n; R5 k
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. i0 R6 ]1 }' F8 q8 j% p" e9 ]& P! w
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.
, Y4 z- P7 N8 R" H- _2 \! ]: S人在德国 社区
5 K, e" x# w" h3 q9 Y"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.3 \) i( s' E/ O1 o( ?4 C3 S, R

1 y! {5 g& V* z"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."
9 O+ ]; E1 h5 h+ Y5 [8 c- a3 \/ F- y$ G; e2 ?' H
The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de! C7 D  F9 r! X# d7 X0 y* v
人在德国 社区- l7 Y) ]/ [9 z  j6 G
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.