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。) {( t# d c# m
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US % `2 g& [. i# Q7 UUS 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. $ r9 V2 g! E3 E& I. F! N; F! g* W n3 b3 f! t* Z
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.( I6 u# A6 u0 [
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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.& Y2 L) L% y$ {) ~' m2 X8 {
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US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.$ h4 y; Y! Q1 C0 }' o0 I( v. q
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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.' u0 d) b& m" x' N
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. & L9 G$ Y; X* _% d0 e6 U( B( r ( `6 `3 {; E9 G- x6 ^"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.# V5 Z4 U# \) r1 `' O' s( ~# J1 @1 ~
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."! F+ p# Q- V7 n: B$ n. o. k9 R
6 ^ r2 D' ^" y, i0 @8 iThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.5 X! J# @0 ~, X( F$ Q& E; d2 q
+ N. i: _2 R3 C( G* a- t9 FThe 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.
