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。0 L x4 W" d6 z* B: Y4 T+ h
# e" t$ a+ _3 I# @( S9 `4 G+ X# N: xCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US $ o* v( o9 u: j- t2 H% QUS 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. ( b/ X3 z2 o! B: b5 v( T" O 8 @' Z/ S" e6 d B7 H" p, |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.6 n1 K8 m. A- c+ S3 k, O8 h7 ^; }2 k7 U
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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. - W4 a- b9 C* s: X0 |" e4 C6 v / e. a" X6 L" A+ M) g8 uUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.5 r* C$ D" I4 R3 O* T2 a. w
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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.3 j( P. X, k) X4 T4 P$ }( V
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.3 y0 u! H T. r% e5 S/ v# L. e
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. 2 R3 p7 K# A* z2 R. J0 ]5 o; g" ?3 C( G9 s2 U( T9 q
"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that." # z" ]+ b. s* Y 5 m* a8 a7 b+ ^, A7 z) @, ~The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. U1 }* u9 z+ S' _5 e7 V5 H # M. G- D/ D/ h/ m' n- q) X; {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.
