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。 - F$ h$ {6 S. p4 D% ?6 i o 1 l- ~- E7 ]3 F8 ]3 Z
Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US4 f+ L: ~7 m0 a; o( ~
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. " C9 W* g; \$ a" } 7 X V& l8 e0 L/ y0 ?- U! Z! qThe 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. / m, K: d. K# f. Q* d& ?2 s" V/ M8 ~+ e$ I1 S o0 B; P; j6 H
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.1 _0 z R: q1 o$ a; c9 l' o4 C1 F
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US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.3 Z8 D. a# U* G4 k+ f9 r. i1 ?
* L L7 A5 c1 q# A! AUS 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.1 p Y, n4 a2 r3 k1 O L; @
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. / j9 \+ H% p# I3 ?. P9 f b1 o% _) w / u# z$ F/ Y. O"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.- W2 c+ v1 A4 K, q/ ~
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."5 W9 P/ i Z3 b' [' E
) L+ i3 Z8 j: X$ ~3 h& YThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. # ?- ], r7 B& g4 g$ W. W* g, y7 X2 P0 Z4 M T
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.
