[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。
$ }0 ~3 |" V' h7 f人在德国 社区 7 c  |0 B, L8 C# u
Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US5.35.249.64: z/ E4 a% G8 j+ f( J) 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.
. a" V3 N4 A& n/ X1 c
+ x5 E2 F2 c# w5 @, N* Q8 W人在德国 社区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.
& R& j& ?! ?9 P. d) l# T7 G1 g+ `% p  z5 f* V$ c1 \
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.
4 j3 ]. F. m6 D) p/ x人在德国 社区& f- d. H& V/ N2 u
US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.
2 {7 ^* `$ g, x' a8 e
' g" b$ _3 s$ b) `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.
; v+ L; }& {3 s! kMr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.
. `7 l& b/ r+ z8 W& [; H* |  }7 ^5 I人在德国 社区
0 U3 d3 [* ^7 E- s5 g"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.1 G- o3 M; c9 H) _3 Y1 D2 `% v
, ]8 W; A2 a" a0 @% J+ v( ]* q
"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."5.35.249.642 e* V- X  P, r1 L; n" d
& C" V+ P( L- N# g4 r, l
The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.5 N9 f3 w# e) x# Q
# f2 s$ |6 b- G+ v" w% I9 s3 l
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.