Lighters No Longer Allowed On Planes

By Sam Bakken in News on Apr 14, 2005 8:16PM

If you'd planned on executing your brilliant in-flight shoe-bombing scheme this weekend, be sure to bring a book of safety matches and leave the lighter at home. Starting today, lighters are prohibited from entering a plane's cabin. We know, we know, sometimes those booked matches can be a bitch to keep lit, but don't worry, you're allowed to bring FOUR BOOKS.

We agree with Mark Peterson, now a celebrity smoker thanks to the AP story, who said, "It has been 3 1/2 years since 9/11 and they have finally figured it out." Lighters have been banned from checked baggage for thirty years. We don't see why all matches aren't prohibited. Apparently Transportation Security Administration screeners have a hard time detecting them.

Officials expect a ton of seizures, and seized lighters will not be returned. But you can store them in your car, mail them home or give them to someone who is not traveling. We recommend you just keep them at home. The mailing option is very interesting to us and in our exploration of the topic we found a company that is making automated mailing kiosks for airports that allow air travelers to send prohibited items home.