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。$ x3 O! ]! h# A/ o$ ?; G
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US 9 `3 E, W P: {# r; |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. 3 [; S9 \! ~9 @+ b7 X o3 ^& o9 V- X0 n G8 ]8 W8 O. H" q
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.4 m5 l2 T+ l! E8 v
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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. w( d" Z+ }) P8 h0 P; Q7 ^6 C# j: {% j3 `+ x: D
US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.' K! }* Y" g) J/ t# \ n
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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.' Y! T3 V/ ? J, r9 l" e
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.8 B# P+ ?0 e4 p0 b
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. ' Z. Y. c& i" X & m" z& i2 u, ^% x& `5 x0 K"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."" b5 q& _5 K9 y" J5 t2 e! b
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. 1 z+ j" P' m. t7 x) V& l : }8 e4 k+ v: Z/ F) `$ C5 VThe 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.
