It’s bad enough to smoke on an airplane, but the truth is you can usually get away with a few puffs if you play dumb and extinguish the cigarette immediately when instructed to do so. What you cannot get away with is repeatedly trying to smoke onboard then becoming aggressive and violent when told to stop.
Germans love their cigarettes and apparently Mathias Jorg could not even get through a 7hr flight without one.
A MAN is in police custody after he tried to smoke several times on-board an Emirates flight to Brisbane.
The man, understood to be a German national, was detained by staff after he allegedly became violent and aggressive towards them.
The incident happened on flight EK432, which arrived at Brisbane Airport from Singapore about 1.10am on Thursday.
While I do not underestimate how intense nicotine cravings can be, anyone who cannot go more than a few hours without smoking should consider taking a boat.
After appearing before a Brisbane magistrate, Jorg was released on bail on the condition he surrender his passport and not hit up the German consulate for another one. His next court date is on 10 January.
Oh, and there is a picture.
Here’s the moral of the story: Those little overhead signs with the cigarette encirclied in red with the line through it mean something: don’t smoke on airplanes. If you are told to stop, stop. Never become violent onboard.
Don’t they sell patches and gum for trips like that?
If he had only taken that AA MD-80 flight instead he would still have had ashtrays. They don’t build them like that anymore.
Maybe some nicotine gum or an electronic cigar or something would have been a better choice. Maybe he was just stressed out from being in coach with no leg room (he looks like a pretty big guy).
This is in no way meant to be sarcastic, but rather seemed a good opportunity to ask if any of my fellow travelers have strong opinions one way or another about a similar issue.
The secondhand smoke debate stopped becoming a debate years ago when it took on a life of its own, started running and hasn’t slowed down since. With exterior spaces being limited as to where smoking is permitted I think that short of banning tobacco products all together, there isn’t much more that can be done to make it a less convenient habit to maintain.
I wonder what people’s opinions are regarding the readily available supply of alcohol at airports and aboard flights. I live in a state with the second highest percentage of smokers in the nation and where free alcohol flows 24 hours a day. The freedom to abuse one’s self is alive and well in the Battle Born State.
I am significantly more concerned about the availability of alcohol as a whole, but to all but having it in airport terminals creates an environment that lends itself to exposing everyone in the terminal to danger, but those on the flight, and then those who the drinker crosses paths with long after exiting the airport. The drinker is alone in the damage he chooses to do his body, although, similar to smoking, we all end up paying the cost for the behavior. The effects of alcohol with regard to behavior and performance are long lasting and I am unaware of any case where someone showed more self control or whose performance improved while intoxicated. The all to frequently statement heard on the news when discussing a car accident, violent crime, domestic abuse, and similar occurrences, ‘we are waiting for lab results to determine if alcohol was a factor.’
In my opinion it is clear cut as to which vice is more detrimental and carries more risk to the individual and a much larger pool of the population. When compared to smoking, alcohol consumption is at the very least as hazardous, but when looked at objectively is exponentially more dangerous to the individual and public at large.
Should a ban on alcohol be attempted again?