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。8 [: \- K/ R- F# S* g# R
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US9 D$ v3 c1 i. C. t/ k- L9 g2 k% l
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. U" v! ~9 }) s2 s. n% M
3 O9 w" k8 @" J+ M: k, H# [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.) J9 G+ y% p2 ^+ l6 ~
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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. 7 W) t* Y% r+ c7 v& ~! Q$ D; a5 C; g7 A6 P1 I
US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. - X/ j5 G9 V% Q$ P9 I 6 Q( d; ?0 H# D, g, PUS 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. 0 j8 i3 K u5 Y0 Z, @0 dMr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.% o( v6 x4 i- |$ f* Z9 z
; \7 o! R: v8 H# P9 @"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.& I4 u% X! k9 k. d5 S3 M3 g
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."" J/ r# [8 ~* ~3 g: @- P6 A
/ o6 r0 k" U5 j/ DThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.# g" ?' d8 r$ x1 ]
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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.
