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。; ^ E0 [: ~/ \ {5 n
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US ; [4 G7 ]: N: {( f" Q& eUS 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. 4 |: \4 S4 J, [* x/ V. a6 R' U3 X6 j1 F* l& u1 {. {
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. $ E6 e/ r6 B7 {) m- j$ @ P7 ?0 `6 c8 R3 G0 }' M4 M& c7 R
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.; M. w- C4 [ b. L8 J' d+ r
" F' m! W: l) H6 G+ ?* b9 m1 c) kUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. / m$ m L2 q; E9 Z9 ?$ R5 J. N 6 P7 O1 l( ]: X: g2 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.% w1 P$ s/ o9 T, r! p
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.6 B i" R0 i- J4 o7 E
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. ; R P3 s) R/ T& i/ t* W$ }+ S' b: c$ d! I! k8 ^( {% [
"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."* T( O% {9 \) b% ^. N9 q, B
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. ) v5 H- I3 {" D/ e8 _- b9 w2 a9 u4 J2 C. R/ j$ F
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.
