Posted on: Friday, April 15, 2005

Hundreds of lighters grounded

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

Travelers at Honolulu International Airport gave up more than 600 lighters in the first 12 hours in which they were banned from airplanes, officials said yesterday.

The federal ban, which went into effect at 12:01 a.m. yesterday, resulted in the surrender of 637 lighters by noon, said Sidney Hayakawa, federal security chief at the airport.

"We got them in all shapes and sizes, even brand-new ones still in their wrappers," Hayakawa said.

Most of the lighters were surrendered willingly to state workers who approached passengers waiting in line for federal security screening. About 200 of the lighters were taken from interisland travelers; the rest were given up by overseas travelers, he said.

"There were only three complaints from people who said they didn't know about the new rule," Hayakawa said.

All of the lighters will be destroyed by a private hazardous waste company hired by the federal Transportation Security Administration.

For those who still needed to smoke before they reached their destination, vendors provided a new service at the airport yesterday: They were selling still-legal books of matches for 5 cents each, Hayakawa said.