NPR report this a.m. said that starting sometime in August you'll be able to carry cig lighters once again on airplanes.

However if you see someone try to light the sneakers move away.

You can read about TSA's revised policy on lighters and breast milk here:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/sop/index.shtm

Traveling has become so much complicated since 9-11. But I guess there is a reason for it.

The reason for prohibiting lighters has nothing to do with terrorism and a lot with a not enclosed vessel full of highly flammable liquid.
The same reason you cannot take firworks with you on a plane, at least in this part of the world.

When are they going to allow smoking onboard again?

as soon as they prove that second hand smoke is harmless and doesn't cause some folks to practically suffocate.

well that's good. Now I won't have to smuggle it on board in my cleavage anymore.

(no, Im not kidding)

i'll tell ya, not allowing lighters or cigarettes on planes has been part of the liberal agenda to take down decent, hard working companies like phillip morris.

just kidding. lighters are harmless! if you see somebody trying to use a lighter on the plane, punch em in the face!

What else can we lit up besides tobacco products and sneakers?

cannabis

MissZ, no you're not. <GRIN>

we have just travelled on a round the world ticket from Australia, NZealand, San Fran, Calgary, Toronto, Paris, Germany, Rome, Singapore. I carried my lighter in my handbag the whole time. not once was i asked about it, Im sure it showed up on the xray and everytime I expected to have it taken away? Its only a lighter I would recommend take the risk it can only be taken away and you can just say you forgot to discard it before flying.

What's the big deal? You can carry on safety matches, won't that do until you can pick up a lighter somewhere?

Ahhhhh, if I only had cleavage.....

What's the purpose of carrying a lighter on an airplane? I don't get it.

"TSA will no longer ban common lighters in carry-on luggage starting August 4, 2007. Torch lighters remain banned in carry-ons."

What's a 'torch lighter'?

the reason to carry a lighter is to smoke. travelling is stressful, and sometimes it's nice to just get a martini and have a cigarette. don't hate.

a torch lighter is a butane lighter, like what you use to light a cigar. they burn much hotter.

A smoker can probably explain why carrying a lighter on an airplane is a vital necessity: so they can light up four minutes sooner after being deprived of nicotine for several hours.

According to this page, some butane lighters are torch lighters, and some aren't: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/sop/index.shtm#timeline

But I wonder about this statement: "First and foremost, lighters no longer pose a significant threat." What threat did they pose, and why did they stop posing it?

I see that TSA's approach is based on common sense. How refreshing.

Smoking is not allowed on board so why should lighters be allowed on board? Let people spend a dollar at the other end to buy a new one.

If a lighter in carry-on luggage in a locker catches alight and burns the bag and then other bags, smoke starts coming from the locker, the person who opens it could get a face full of melted plastic. The fire could then spread and the last thing you want in the tight confines of an airplane is a fire with the panic that ensues. Have you ever seen a fire extinguisher on board a plane? Tiny hand held ones are not going to do the job.

Who needs terrorists when you have such total idiots in charge who allow such dangerous things on planes?

I think the record will show that lighters don't ignite spontaneously on airplanes any more than they do in cars or offices.

There was an airline crash forty or so years ago in which a "visible fuel" lighter was implicated - and subsequently banned - but I don't know of any solid proof that they're a hazard.

(A "visible fuel" lighter in those days referred to an old-fashioned naphthalene lighter with extra liquid fuel in a transparent reservoir. The user pressed a valve periodically to release some into the compartment where some cotton and the wick were located.)

<b>But back to the subject of TSA and lighters.</b>

Can anyone tell me why the lighter on the left is any more hazardous than the one on the right? They both burn butane, and butane burns at the same temperature whether it's in a cheap disposable or a fancy refillable. Are they afraid someone will load one with acetylene or MAP gas? I'm trying to square this distinction with TSA's repeated claims that their policy is governed by &quot;common sense.&quot;