Lighter ban on planes begins tomorrow

Lighter ban on planes begins tomorrow


WASHINGTON For smokers, it becomes a bit harder to fly beginning tomorrow.

That´s when the ban against lighters in the cabin kicks in. It´s already against the law to have a lighter in checked baggage.

But smokers won´t be left with no way to light up. They´ll still be able to carry up to four books of safety matches into the cabin. "Strike-anywhere" matches are not permitted.

Despite warnings over the past 45 days about the impending ban, airport officials expect to confiscate a lot of lighters in the weeks ahead.

The new rule could be especially surprising to foreigners who haven´t heard about it.

The head of the Air Travelers Association thinks the lighter ban is long overdue. But the president of the Business Travel Coalition says it amounts to "silliness in the extreme."