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。 ; ~; }3 `0 ^* A+ J7 v3 X 3 [. X+ \& g. X4 J5 ]$ R
Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US& M- e8 i2 Z2 X* N& `2 H6 t2 s$ Z4 b
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.) Z" q. }, M/ q4 l8 Z }# }: O0 Y0 o3 A! z
* u" x7 |. O/ a' EThe 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. . u* |9 g8 Q4 F+ Q! c ; L( u& I% a( {3 hReid, 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. ! j. l* ` a2 Q) R6 l i1 S9 P2 X. a+ E" v+ |; i2 e$ x2 V$ `
US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. ) a) `; H& ?/ @& S9 {1 k + {* J+ Z2 b0 NUS 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." o6 n/ B' N& @/ M
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. $ F. \5 j7 y X. r# d& ? 5 i9 Y/ G' }4 A0 W. q* W X9 W"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.: ~1 M1 r1 ?8 u' R2 B
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."! T1 T+ `% [9 }# S3 s. [/ N
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. : y n9 d4 Z+ Z3 R' l7 T0 m" e2 ]8 S# J
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.
