Monday, February 16 2009
The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) are supposed to be in sync. But that's certainly not the
case with torch lighters.
It's been noted that the TSA Web site says that all torch lighters are banned, in both carry-on and checked baggage. Yet both Colibri – which closed its doors in January, but which made the TranzPack lighter carrying case that's still in circulation – and Zippo obtained exemptions from the Department of Transportation which allow lighters filled with compressed gas (such as butane, as used in torch lighters) to be transported aboard airplanes in checked baggage so long as they are in a case which meets the Department of Transportation's regulations.
The language of the permits is essentially identical. Colibri's permit, issued on April 30, 2008 reads in part:
"This special permit authorizes the transportation in commerce of certain compressed gas fueled and liquid-fueled cigarette lighters in checked baggage of passenger aircraft when packaged in a rigid, vapor-tight non-DOT specification solid plastic packaging that prevents any movement of the lighter during transport."
The exemption covers "Lighters or lighter refills containing flammable gas" and "Lighters, non-pressurized containing flammable liquid" and is specific that "A person who is not a holder of this special permit and who intends to place a liquid-fueled or flammable gas-fueled lighter contained within a non-DOT specification solid plastic packaging in checked baggage on a passenger aircraft may do so provided no modification or charge is made to the package and it is offered for transportation in conformance with this special permit."
That seems clear enough. In fact, it's so clear that Zippo notes on its Web site that its ZippoBLU torch lighter series can be carried in checked luggage!
But the TSA's list of prohibited items on its Web site doesn't agree. It splits its regulations on lighters into two parts:
=> So-called "common lighters" are now permitted in carry-on bags (!), but not in checked luggage: "Lighters without fuel are permitted in checked baggage. Lighters with fuel are prohibited in checked baggage, unless they adhere to the Department of Transportation (DOT) exemption, which allows up to two fueled lighters if properly enclosed in a DOT approved case. If you are uncertain as to whether your lighter is prohibited, please leave it at home." This language is certainly correct.
=> But a second entry on the TSA site states "Torch lighters create a thin, needle-like flame that is hotter (reaching 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit) and more intense than those from common lighters. Torch lighters are often used for pipes and cigars, and maintain a consistent stream of air-propelled fire regardless of the angle at which it is held. Torch lighters continue to be banned." This is in conflict with the plain language of the DOT exemption for fueled lighters.
What happens now? The folks at Zippo have promised to check into the matter and it's possible that the TSA language may yet be changed to comport with the DOT's clear exemption for fueled lighters with flammable gas in checked baggage so long as contained within an approved case.
Zippo's new Air Case, by the way, is a steal at just $7.95 retail in smokeshops and other locations where Zippos are sold.
>> While the end of the U.S. embargo with Cuba is being discussed in some quarters, Representative William Delahunt (D-Massachusetts) has introduced a bill which would restore free travel for Americans to Cuba for the first time since 1963.
H..R. 874 was filed on February 4 with eight co-sponsors including some Republicans. The entire bill is just five paragraphs long with the operative section reading:
"On and after the date of the enactment of this Act, and subject to section 3:
"(1) the President may not regulate or prohibit, directly or indirectly, travel to or from Cuba by United States citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions incident to such travel; and
"(2) any regulation in effect on such date of enactment that regulates or prohibits travel to or from Cuba by United States citizens or legal residents or transactions incident to such travel shall cease to have any force or effect."
Such a bill would allow Americans not only to go to Cuba, but also potentially to bring back at some Cuban products as a transaction "incident" to such travel. The bill also allows for travel restrictions in time of war between the countries or in times of imminent danger to American travelers to the island.
The bill has attracted wide attention, especially in Florida, but it faces a long road ahead, including being a low priority in view of the economy and other foreign affairs issues. But it's a start; the bill was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Short fillers: There are publicity stunts that fall flat and then there are doozies like this one: Beach Cigar Group, the owner and distributor of the Gurkha brand, has offered a $25,000 sponsorship deal to Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps. The offer was made in a letter to Phelps and reported by the entertainment and celebrity site TMZ.com. The letter said that "We would like to provide you with the opportunity to do what you do best - smoke and swim. And while we can't help you with your swimming skills, we can definitely offer you the best of the best when it comes to the cigar world." Phelps, of course, is reeling from worldwide condemnation after a British newspaper ran a photograph of him at a house party in South Carolina smoking marijuana through a pipe. While he has retained most of his sponsors earned on his way to a record eight-gold-medal performance in swimming at the Beijing Olympics last summer, he was dropped by Kellogg's directly due to the photograph. Phelps was not known as a smoker of any kind prior to the incident, and while the Gurkha offer was newsworthy, it was certainly not serious. Phelps's sponsors all pay well into the six figures annually for the use of his likeness and his endorsement. But as a publicity ploy, Gurkha's offer was right on the money.
- Rich Perelman in Los Angeles
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Reprinted by permission. "Heard in the Humidor" is a publication of Perelman, Pioneer & Company. Copyright 2009; All rights reserved.
