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。 ( F# j' d* G" _) b9 e 2 n) Q$ `# C$ _: `) p {; RCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US 2 }7 j% @; d2 IUS 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. , U" U5 \% m# n7 K/ c) K, f( s5 ?1 @ # d2 p) d/ }. R2 e- aThe 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., V& }# _. L2 v4 I/ E
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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./ E( T. L2 Q1 x5 H T3 m8 g
5 Q/ R4 C6 C" D. l& S ^9 oUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.6 u0 g+ L$ i% B8 y6 s- u0 t( x
$ o& h: T7 D: ?$ OUS 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.- k9 S* I% d3 l) i" g5 W6 k" _8 f
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. 9 _2 X( [) w# }, Q' U 3 H; d5 K I/ Y"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.+ u2 l% F; _4 @3 e7 Q
- o/ j& j' h4 X9 y* p E# C0 s$ S"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that." ! O, H; C$ `5 b4 ?: o; ?% W* f& y
The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.% Q( U7 ?8 w0 M+ Z2 T
" l8 s6 T- U0 o. g! ?0 _# wThe 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.
