' V% m F. j* E& Y% {Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US 8 l& S, s3 s* E g6 |6 H0 RUS 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.& }6 W- Q" c7 E8 A8 g0 ?
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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.- L1 B, v0 Z b+ J
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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 f( A0 H. M) ~9 Z2 ^ ) H) A9 `1 K1 P% Q" pUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. ( ?* K# D" s/ @7 \$ g0 E4 G 6 c; }8 q! s1 X5 s( E7 X" `- BUS 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. 5 T" _/ t3 Y- q" E5 RMr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.) _0 L |& H" j1 O
' F% F% I) h3 G( ?! p9 a"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. ' J9 A' P1 e# R0 \' K3 o7 [ , n, [2 z$ s$ _7 P z9 N' t: q9 E"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that." 9 z. _- i: A: B5 p/ v* q+ M! `1 K2 d
The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.& a# W/ M7 `6 l; Y3 o# f3 w
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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.
