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 s6 k* N+ {! W
( Z5 e1 p( Q0 ?$ o0 Q& X+ vCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US* }# Z" X, U7 a' B0 z
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. : ?8 B; a6 @) k1 w7 ]9 @* ^9 o V) a H& x5 D+ q
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.+ B( }2 ?. h. N- R
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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. & Y! B! S- k( ?' F- X" X: u$ t, T c$ B- {
US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights. , @$ _* w$ X v! v( ~+ Q7 c5 b# s( x% U) L# s- A& 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. 8 g+ Y Y N) U5 J, Q* }+ XMr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. 0 c, W9 G3 m4 K4 F- G. O 2 [, \: p# F0 H8 }1 ]"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said. 1 C* y* U; x) c2 w+ m5 O 9 t3 _2 o( I- J0 b t% B"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."5 M* j9 H0 Q/ c0 X
2 h$ @" E, k& m0 `/ RThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.& e6 A' f& S. s' B2 \' u
, q) i/ A2 R) y( K* L) t1 TThe 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.
