Lighter ban to be eased

Air travelers are getting new rules regarding lighters on aircraft -- again.

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a ruling June 22 allowing fuel-filled Zippo lighters in checked bags aboard airplanes if they are placed inside a special container approved by the DOT. The ruling applies only to Zippo brand lighters and a special plastic box being manufactured for the company. Zippo officials said the box, costing $12.95, was expected to be available later this month.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration, as of the Travel section’s deadline Tuesday, was evaluating how to screen for the lighter packaging, but TSA spokeswoman Jennifer Peppin said, “We don’t anticipate any problems.”

As of last week the ban on lighters in carry-ons remained.

The rules for taking lighters on board aircraft have undergone several changes this year. On April 14, the TSA began banning all lighters, whether powered by batteries, butane or absorbed-fuel systems (such as Zippos), from carry-on baggage. Lighters had already been banned from checked luggage.

The April ban caught some passengers unaware, and in the first few days after it took force, they surrendered more than 135,000 lighters at U.S. airports.

In May, lighters were allowed in checked bags if they were empty of fuel. DOT spokesman Joe Delcambre said the DOT’s experts did not consider unfilled lighters to be hazardous.

The change June 22 was requested by Zippo, Delcambre said. The DOT determined that the special plastic container is safe because it is not easily punctured and has a vapor-tight seal that prevents the release of gas fumes, he added.

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Opening the Dahl factory

A museum devoted to Roald Dahl (1916-1990), the quirky Welsh-born author of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and other popular children’s tales, opened last month in southeast England, where the author lived.

The opening came in advance of the July 15 release of Tim Burton’s movie based on the book.

A highlight of the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, a 40-minute train ride from London, is a replica of the hut where Dahl wrote, with eccentric objects such as a ball of chocolate-bar wrappers and part of his own hip bone.

Visitors enter the museum through doors shaped like chocolate bars. Among the exhibits are drafts of Dahl’s major works, letters he wrote to his mother, films and video clips.

Admission is about $8 adults and $6 for children 3 to 18 years old. Reduced-rate family tickets are available. The museum is closed on Mondays, but open on some holidays. Reservations are advised because only a limited number of visitors is allowed each day. Call 011-44-1494-892-192 or see www.roalddahlmuseum.org.

-- Jane Engle