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。 " q v- p" }. n" @1 G9 |2 k 8 T! p5 s# x1 R: Y, q/ V1 dCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US 1 T1 d! {, \+ [: E( N5 D4 s! I8 ^0 BUS 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. % t6 v3 s; I- z) z' _ / D ?0 i' b: q" A% B' i( WThe 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. - u: N! d. {3 t+ q 6 [& M2 w6 H$ [4 J7 A" }7 U- ]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.9 T g) K0 ^) w% ?- h6 j" \4 X4 L
0 R7 }% V- R7 U9 D' ?: r+ [US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.) A& f8 B( N( {' h( _& h; [- O
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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. 0 B6 q3 X6 b; X4 C# N: g0 o3 xMr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts. 1 q$ L3 W: I6 y! t( K 0 ?( \/ \: ~5 w. l- k"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.2 J- B u$ ?+ t6 S
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."$ z( k- n3 y1 h- ~- K
2 m- m. |: k3 g/ @8 Y* mThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. * B2 ?" r9 ^! M6 y # u# g) X* t3 Q2 r, L+ _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.
