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
" p" Q7 b" M3 g( j
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 [
# M( j# c' i% m* z. E7 y
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 {
) z$ R7 p ^, _! [/ D* L/ s
US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.$ h4 y; Y! Q1 C0 }' o0 I( v. q
8 C/ h6 {! n/ P& g0 Q
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 ~
6 d3 \ ?8 P% |/ z0 q- A8 k
"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.