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。 - B7 A9 X7 i% M- P5 X % d9 t; u2 J9 }) _6 a ]
Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US% y( c( C/ v4 Q) ]: a7 y9 V
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. M$ ?' G$ i' L# U. k9 B' Y
& }0 ]: Y3 o5 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.+ n; h. f- D S! \/ z6 H2 T$ b
$ X* e+ y% n+ a" c8 q4 h& yReid, 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.6 h3 D( o- E( u; ?" E# T8 c6 n
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US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. + }" t' ` B4 S& } $ a# P% V0 ^6 o R' G( IUS 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.' G8 U& \1 a2 m0 \' T5 L) H$ \- U- p
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.; E P7 g+ ^$ F& X% ^* W; S& I
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.- R. F, |; B" H" j6 F! h9 B
. _) D. {3 K( _' K! ?"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."6 b# u( q, P9 ^: Z) k0 K3 X
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters./ Q4 d- t0 y4 Z' O5 x0 E
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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.
