Leave Those Lighters at Home

Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff of summer travel season, and airport security officials are taking another crack at getting passengers to get rid of their cigarette lighters before going to the checkpoints.

Although a national ban has been in effect since mid-April, airport screeners are still confiscating about 5,000 lighters each week at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. They are also catching 1,800 lighters weekly at Dallas Love Field.

"Certainly we're going to see a lot of families and other people who haven't traveled in quite some time at the airports, and they need to be aware that we've banned all lighters," said Andrea McCauley, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration. "We realize we are asking for a change in behavior."

The TSA still allows passengers to carry up to four books of matches, but easy-strike matches are banned. Also, the TSA clarified that lighters that do not contain fuel or are emptied are allowed in checked baggage.

The lighter ban was mandated by the Intelligence Reform Bill signed by President Bush last year.