I certainly take smoke-free flights for granted. This was the reason I made such a stink about smoking on a China Eastern flight to Shanghai. But we don’t have to go back all that far to recall a different era in which smoking on airplanes was not only commonplace, but encouraged.
As best as I can tell, Cuban flag carrier Cubana was the last airline in the world to ban smoking in 2014. As public pressure over the health risks of second-hand smoke and general intolerance for discomfort has grown, carriers responded by banning smoking. Sometimes legislation has forced airlines to act.
But go back to the 1990s…when I was a kid…and the world was a very different place. Even as late as 2002 airlines such as Aeroflot, Condor, Iberia, and Garuda still allowed smoking on some flights. Go back further and you’ll see that not only was smoking permitted on airlines, but encouraged. SAS, for example, manufactured its own cigarettes!
SAS has a fascinating story in its onboard Scandinavian Traveler magazine about the history of smoking on SAS.
In 1988, SAS made domestic flights in Sweden and Norway non-smoking and the year after, the policy was expanded to domestic flights in Denmark and flights between the Nordic countries. In 1996, two years after smoking areas were removed from schoolyards inSweden, SAS flights to the Benelux countries, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the UK became smoke-free. And it was incredibly only [20] years ago, in 1997, that SAS banned smoking on all flights. This coincided with the EU ban on smoking on flights in member states.
In 1994, Delta was the first airline in the USA to ban smoking on all worldwide flights.
The point is, it wasn’t all that long ago yet I still cannot fathom it.
I’ve argued before that while I am a big proponent of designated smoking areas at airports, I am against onboard smoking because others cannot escape it. That’s a position even the majority of smokers agree with. Do you?
> Read More: Why I Mourn the Loss of Airport Smoking Lounges
CONCLUSION
So, do any airlines still allow onboard smoking? The answer is no. At least not that I can find. If you have evidence to the contrary, please share it below.
Smoking on airplanes: should it still be a thing?
Was on a Royal Air Maroc flight last year from Casablanca to Rio de Janeiro where people were smoking (and playing guitar and dancing and singing and walking around with bottles of whisky) for a couple of hours. Weird experience.
Wow…
I realize that the general public does not want smoking on flights. I am of the understanding that airlines began this practice not as a good health measure,but rather a means to save on oxygen. I also understand that on a smoking flight the cabin needs to be purged every 10 minutes. Now instead of wafting 2nd hand smoke, you now breath the same stale, dry germ filled air for prolonged periods. So now instead of an iconvinience i get to catch whatever illnesses my non smoking co passengers have. Airlines could care less about my health and more about how much ill tolerate at the highest rate.
Former million miler……
That’s an interesting point.
Airplanes do not store oxygen for passengers. Not even with oxygen masks. The cockpit sometimes has bottles, that’s it. They’re constantly bringing fresh air into the cabin, pressurized by the bleed air off the engines. The “stale air” smell is simply odor from the compressor system and filters.
Smoking onboard has to do with fire prevention, not oxygen use.
That is absolutely not true!
Some airlines bring much more pure oxygen than others (Air Canada and Lufthansa are examples).Most dont…because the pure air comes in thru the turbines and uses more fuel.I suffer from COPD and very quickly find out first hand which airline does or doesnt bring in more air on a flight.
I wish you would do the research on how this country was built at our US Capitol there are tobacco leaves wrapping the pillars my grandfather was a tobacco farmer from Maryland I remember working those tobacco Fields as a small child it was hard work we all should be able to smoke if we wish to I agree with designated areas I am a smoker and I do not like sidestream smoke but this is America correct.
I used to be a Capitol intern and have written about the tobacco leaves in the old Supreme Court chamber. I always pointed those out in my tours. You are correct that tobacco formed a pillar of the early American economy. I’m all for smoking areas on the ground, but not in the air.
You dress so clever ….but you are so shallow!
“but this is America correct…”
Yes…America. Founded by white men who committed widespread killing of the natives with disease and guns, brutally owned other humans as property, and viewed all women and wives as chattel.
Smoking? A privileged negative indulgence which serves no useful purpose and DIRECTLY imposes upon others .
…it seems that the natives got their revenge by addicting the “evil” white man worldwide with tobacco. You’re functioning within a peculiarly, and by now utterly boorish ideological bubble.
You’re dwelling on stuff that happened centuries ago. No one alive today is to blame for any of that. Also, it has nothing to do with the topic of smoking on airplanes. It’s obvious that you’re a hater of white people; especially men. YAWN. Stop living in the past.
The killing for land and enslaving others was not a European problem, it was /is a problem that touched the entire human race. A problem that occurred on Asia, Africa, Europe, South and Central America, and North America before the Europeans came. Human beings all over the world attacked and enslaved those they conquered.
In what is now referred to as the United States, there is a lake called Lake Erie. It is named after the Erie Indians that inhabited the land along its eastern shores. You will never meet an Erie Indian, they were wiped out by the Seneca Nation. They were perceived as a threat for their food and resources, so they wiped them out…. They no longer exist. Genocide. Other Native American nations attacked other Native American nations for the same reasons.
In South and Central America, the Mayan and Aztec nations had a culture that were based on warfare and human sacrifice.
Slavery on the African continent was going on before the Europeans arrived on the African continent. The Jewish people, and probably others, were enslaved by the Egyptians. And the slaves that were sold to the Europeans, were captured by other stronger and more powerful African tribes in their area, and sold to the Europeans. Today, there is still slavery and attacks occurring in Africa, tribal warfare and slavery continues to this day.
The Mongolians under Genghis Khan, conquered and enslaved millions. Same with the great Persian Empire.
Europe had it’s share with the Romans, the Greeks, and not too long ago, Nazi Germany.
The only continent that is not mentioned here is the Antarctic. That is because it is the only continent that was not inhabited by humans.
In looking at the history of human beings on this planet, on every inhabited continent, it is hard to believe that the words “Human” and “Humanity” are so similar……
Don already answered one side of your argument, I’ll address the other which is: “viewed all women and wives as chattel.”
Women’s history month lesson: Queen Elizabeth and Victoria, Cleopatra, Queen Isabella (financier of the Columbus expedition) and Mary, mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalen, a financial supporter of his ministry.
Many women yearn for the traditional roles particularly when the dinner check arrives and in emergencies (such as when Sully Sullenberger landed a plane on the Hudson River). Women were protected as members of their families, not chattel. On the other hand, speaking of treating children like chattel, Kevin Costner’s ex wife who wanted $248K/month in “child” support had to settle for a mere $129K/month.
“Baumgartner argued that she needed more money to avoid drastic changes to her kids’ lifestyle, which includes assistants to help with schedules, food prep, grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning.”
And…what’s so wrong with that?!….i don’t understand: you liked or not? Woaw…they played the guitar, drunked wiskey and danced! For me…that’s cool!
why weird?…..flying should be freedom from the PC crowd, the airlines, should offer simple filter masks, and have a smoking section. believe me, flying in the 1970’s was comfortable and it felt more free. Just getting on an airliner today is brutal.
While I’ll agree that flying has lost its glamour since the 70s, inflight smoking would do nothing to bring back even an iota of that glamour. Why would, in an age where smoking rates have plummeted would an airline intentionally go out of it’s way to give non-smokers masks, this would create an extra expense for companies and assuming that the masks are 100% effective can cause unnecessary discomfort for non-smokers, who likely make a majority of customers.
Secondly, cabin crew will be exposed to second hand smoke, even if they are using the masks you are suggesting they use, whether its during announcements or relaying instructs to passengers or other crew members, the mask will come off as some point. This creates an occupational hazard, before inflight smoking was banned, flight attendants exposure to second hand smoke was 14 times greater than the general population. This puts them at greater risk to develop smoking related cancers and illnesses.
Thirdly, inflight smoking can be hazardous to plane safety. Before inflight smoking was banned, discarded cigarettes were the leading cause of fires on airplanes and while most of these fires were able to be contained, however inflight smoking can be blamed for several deadly crashes, including;
-Varig Flight 820 (1973)
– CAAC Flight 2311 (1982)
-Air Canada Flight 797 (1983)
Fourthly, I cannot understand how making an airplane smell like cigarette smoke can make flying much less brutal. I am that I don’t have to experience that on the vast majority of flights
Well, air conditioning on airplanes doesn’t work in that way. It takes new fresh air from outside, heating it up with bleed air from the jet engine.
https://youtu.be/tuFG0402l-U
I totally agree with you. I am Appalled that smoking is not allowed on Any airline. I am 73, I have savings in the bank. I COULD take a trip, but I Refuse, because I know that my trip would be one Miserable Horrific Experience, and that’s just Not what a trip should be, right? Trips/Vacations Should be Pleasureable, Not Painful! So the bottom line is: I don’t GO on vacations, unless the plane trip is no more than 2 hours. It’s really unfortunate. This hard and fast No-Smoking rule on airlines is literally PREVENTING folks like me from going on trips. I guess they just don’t care, because there are plenty of NON-Smokers out there ready to travel at any given notice. We Smokers Feel and ARE EXCLUDED from This Activity. I HATE IT!!!!!!!!
I’m a daily smoker (of cigars) and the fact that you can’t go more than two hours without a cigarette is your problem — nobody else’s, and certainly not nonsmokers. If you are really so addicted that you can’t go two hours without smoking, you have a bigger problem than vacation.
Same experience with air maroc
I gotta get a trip on Air Maroc. I’m not a smoker, but I like a good party, and this sounds like the airline for it.
Yes you can smoke on airlines, but it has too be your own private aircraft you own
China Eastern LOL
If the president is a smoker, air force one would be allowing smoking onboard. Is it? Then again, offcourse smoking would be politically incorrect. You would lose votes and popularity.
Obama was a smoker but I doubt he did it on Air Force One. Few will know for sure and I don’t think they will be talking about it any time soon.
If true he is a smoker, no further question needed. Lol
Believe it! Being the President of the United States has a lot of Perks. So who on Air Force One would be the fool that tells the President that smoking is not allowed on Air Force One…..Yeah Right! Same with a domestic flight in Russia, cigarettes and drinking a lot of Vodka, comes with the territory. Some things, just refuse to die. Of course we will never know, but iam sure chartered airplanes will allow anything, if the money is right!
Probably not. People are severely overlooking a fact. It isn’t all about 2nd hand smoke. Airliners have perished because of hot cigarette butts causing fires. A tube filed of aviation oxygen and a fire where no one can escape….. not a very good scenario (almost the worst thing that can happen on a plane)
My children were incredulous to hear of the “nonsmoking” sections on planes! That’s even more absurd than restaurant nonsmoking sections.
Agreed. It’s like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.
Your article reminds me of a flight I took out of Charlotte on Piedmont in the mid-1980’s when I flew more often on business. The computer system assigning seats had crashed and it was everyone for himself. I found a seat in the very back of the plane, which happened to be the “smoking section.” I noticed really quickly that the smoke from seats in front of me was being sucked to the back–I thought I was really going to need one of those air sickness bags on that flight. Truly a memorable experience.
C’mon man. when smoking was allowed everywhere. I never heard people complaining. It in fact is one of the smells I remember the first time I went to a major league ballgame. The ball park had a certain Americana smell, hot dogs, peanuts, and a freshly lit cigar. It something you do not smell anymore, and for what it is worth. I sure do miss it . Life has gotten to restrictive. Buckle your seatbelts, and many, many other restrictive laws. I pretty much stay within boundaries now, going out is not as fun. Yes I am sorry ,but I smoke, not a lot, but enough to bother people. So I stay home, and smoke in my backyard. I look in the future, and see, that smoking will be disallowed while operating a motor vehicle too. Laws keep the politicians busy, and the coffers filled. I was in the Military, so I did some travelling, also I did some domestic travel too. I took the California zephyr to cali from Chicago 2.8 days on a train that did not allow smoking. My brother and I loved the scenery, but felt restricted in many ways. No Smoking Car?…..Why Not?…..So we decided Amtrak can have it their way. We won’t be travelling by train or plane. Luckily. I am not a big fan of travel anyway. If I can get there by car, that’s good enough for me. God Bless you all.!
Than don’t drive your car by me, or wear perfume around me, or breathe on me with your (no doubt stank breath.) BTW, you asked about my weight, normal and normal body fat for a 6 ft. 1 in. man. Now, let me ask about your huge hips and tail, also dating status. If that’s your picture one word comes to mind, ugly! So, save everyone’s eyes and keep that mutt of a face away from people too. Harvard graduate, MBA. Will correct grammar as I please for dolts such as yourself. Free education, learn something. LOL
Why are you so nasty Bryan? This is a regular discussion on the topic of smoking on a flight. Everyone else has contributed to the discussion with sane helpful opinions.
But not you!
You obviously have an agenda otherwise why attack a stranger’s grammar nevermind their looks. Why so aggressive? So arrogant? Makes me wonder if you have ever flown in your life.
Btw your English construction is not that great!
Mathew, I’m in my mid-fifties and when I was flying weekly for work in my twenties and early thirties, I often was booked on flights very last minute and although a non-smoker, often there were only smoking section seats available. What always pissed me off was that the smokers would sit in the non-smoking seats and walk back and smoke standing next to me, then return to their non-smoking seats. especially annoying on international flights.
Liar! If you were pissed, you would do your best to avoid it next time. But you always booked last minute. You sit in smoking section. Suck it up and shut-up, grumpy!!!
Oh wow, how rude.
As an ex smoker, I’m supposed to be rabidly against smoking, but surprisingly I’m not, and try to keep an open mind. One non smoker that I was speaking with suggested bringing back smoking sections on airplanes. Rather surprised, I asked her why. She responded that the whole flying experience was so stressful these days that allowing smokers to smoke and calm themselves would actually contribute to a calmer travel experience. While I’m not completely sold on her argument, I have to give her props for thinking outside the box. Maybe some reasonable middle ground, like allowing e-cigarettes would be a good way to go. Less smell, more healthy for everyone, and still soothing.
Well if flying is so stressful why not add Xanax along with the pretzels and peanuts?
E-cigarettes are not healthier than cigarettes! The FDA has not had time to explore the side effects of smoking polyglycol instead of using to de-ice the wings!
Xanax should definitely be included with the pretzels!
Francois?, people have a right to the opinion they give. Maybe you need a cigarette, or perhaps a strong dose of Xanax, because it did not take much to get you going….breathe deep and relax.
That includes Francois having a right to his opinion. Works both ways like that…
As a former e-cig user, I can attest to this personally. I had 55% of my tongue removed due to squamous cell carcinoma. I blame it on e-cig use. Companies do not inform consumers what they are ingesting.
If anything is going to be allowed to smoke, why not pot. I’d rather smell pot than cigarettes anyway.
Of course! Because you’re a hipster! Smoking is not”cool” anymore, but the weed is!
Who smokes pot to be cool? I understand older generations followed trends like younger generations do, so how does smoking pot make you a hipster? I started smoking long before hearing the term hipster.
Would not be half as bad for non-smokers if EVERY airport could find a way to provide a smoking area inside the airport, and I mean after security whilst waiting for boarding or transfer area between flights. Transfers at Lisbon from trans-atlantic onto a London flight had one and so does Rejkiavik, so why not others?
And so does (or did) Seoul International transit area. Closed rooms with extractor systems that could just about suck the hair off your head but they worked well and happy smokers and non smokers alike.
as someone with mild asthma I’m glad to be free of smoking on airlines. We’re all so closely quartered (even in first and business) that there really isn’t space for someone to sit and smoke while not affecting others. I say good riddance to smoking on flights!
As a smoker ….. I don’t think smoking should be allowed on planes to close quarters …. even as a smoker to much smoke is irritating and bothersome. But then again I’m a conscientious smoker….I don’t like bothering people with it. But a smoke hut would be nice in airports. Vegas has one but the extraction system sometimes suck so you come out stinking…..
I no longer fly. I’m a smoker. After they banned smoking, I’d take needle work to keep my hands busy, which helped. Now, since 9/11, you can’t have the tools needed for needle work. Therefore, I no longer fly.
So Sad But, This is the new world. Lets have a war, where thousands of innocents are murdered, but do not allow one person to smoke getting to the battlefield, and that G.I with the M-4 carbine who just blew away that other guy dressed in jamas, is not allowed in the EM club tonight he is only 19. His mom and Dad would sue the country if they knew the boy was drinking. OK saddle up, we got some enemy to Kill. Yeah and don’t tell me that little story is made up. Its all facts. Hypocrites in Washington and everywhere in America.
FAA rules and regs have changed a lot since I was a boy in the 1970’s.
I am the last man in America who dons a shirt and tie when getting on a jet in the coach section. There was a time you could walk right up to the landing gear on the tarmac before going up the steps to the plane to “make sure it looked okay” and that person who just wants a smoke now will be handcuffed and called “worse than Hitler”
What is the FAA trying to do? Kill us????
I just flew from Casablanca to Abidjan on Royal Air Moroc last night & experienced smoking issues on the plane! I am 49 years old, have lived & travelled overseas for years & was a flight attendant for 2 years a long time ago & have NEVER experienced this until last night!!! After smelling smoke, I proceeded to go tell the 2 rear flight attendants. They calmly said it was the pilot who was smoking in the cockpit!!! I was shocked and questioned why, and said this is not allowed, right et!!! They said all pilots on all airlines are allowed… Upon leaving the plane, I asked the head FA who was uncomfortable with my question but responded with “The pilot is allowed & we were in our airspace ” I said that this is absurd & not right! She said goodbye & refused to discuss further The passengers were forced to smell smoke throughout the last half of a 4 hour flight!!! So NOT taking RAM again!
No. It’s a bad idea for health reasons! When smoking was allowed, planes used to refresh fresh air into the plane every 3 mins.
Now the use 1/6 fresh air and 5/6 recycled are. Which is about half the recommended fresh air for a person in an enclosed space. Plus it increased the levels of CO2 in the plane, which caused dizziness, headaches and other symptoms and sickness. As well as making u far more susceptible to picking up infections and deceased from other passengers as ur basically breathing in increasingly more of their expelled air.
The single up side is that planes have cut their fuel bills and make more profit.
But passengers health suffers as a result.
Back in the 1990’s when you were just a kid your a baby I was 20 years old in 1986 I did carrier flying I bought a plane seat to hand deliver documents. This meant I had to get on a plane in any seat available. The company I worked for had agreements with airlines they would call around and find a seat which mean smoking section most of the time. It wasn’t as bad as you make it out to be the plane did a great job of changing out the air very fast it was way better then a bar or being in a car with smokers. My parents smoked when I protested in a car all I could get was a window cracked driving 100’s of miles summer vacations.
Please! People complaining about second hand smoke disgust me. A smoker has the EXACT same rights as a non-smoker. The hypocrisy is unbelievable, they are too arrogant to believe in global warming and anyone voting Republican are prime examples. Republican politicians only care about Corporations and doing whatever it takes to get the cash contributions. If you believe they care about the middle class, seek therapy. The idiot in office now (great job to the morons who voted for him by the way) has rolled back every regulation achieved for clean air and our environment, but you’re worried about 2nd hand smoke for a few hours flying? You’ll hop in your car and you don’t give a damn about the exhaust walkers, bikers, joggers, children playing breathe, do you? You’ll wear your cologne or perfume that can be toxic to some, do you think about that, or even care? Several of you have no understanding of hygiene and your body odor is disgusting. You kick off your shoes and give no thought to your circulating foot odor. You drink alcohol and then want to talk up a storm, inches away while we have to smell the putrid booze. Then there’s the ignorant ones who keep their flight when they’ve colds, flu, or any other airborne illness they cough all over, and around you, most never covering their mouths. Smoking on flights occurred much longer than when it was banned by those thinking they’re holier than thou and only their rights matter. Newsflash…nobody has “ever” obtained Cancer from flying with Smokers, nor has there ever been a fire or accident due to smoking on an airline. Piss off to all you pompous jerks who think and feel only your rights matter, and that the world should revolve around your vision and perceptions. Perhaps Smokers should have alcohol banned. Many of you stumble out of bars at closing time, you get behind the wheel of your car (9 sheets to the wind) and drive home. That can be instant death to the innocent, not passive short term smoke. The last I checked, airline tickets cost the same for all. Lastly, to those Women who take the mirror out of their purse, put on or touch up their make-up and primp their hair? Consider spraying your hair spray in the bathroom and not in your seat. I’ve seen passengers sprayed in the face, eyes, and watched the mist drop on passengers food. Those chemicals are healthy though, right? Twits!
No thanks, if you want to smoke fine but not near me. It’s not even a discussion, you get decide to do whatever with your health but it’s not your call to endanger others. I guess everyone feels the same hence the no smoking laws lol
Bryan, your arrogance shines very bright as you compare apples with oranges. Coming from someone who has asthma and copd and not gettimg it due to smoking, you have no idea how or what smoke can do to someone who has comprimised lungs. Try being on the other side of your tryant rant and think how your views may change if you were the one who had difficulty breathing even at the slighest smell of smoke. Your lack of empathy or care is disgusting.
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm:
Have you heard of English? If so you’re probably just a dolt by nature?
Try getting, not gettimg.
Try compromise, not comprimised.
Try tyrant, not tryant.
Try slightest, not slighest.
What’s disgusting is your lack of education, 5th grade level at best? Just cross the border did you? If you can’t spell it, you’re not educated enough to discuss it.
At least you admit your Asthma and COPD had no relation to smoking. Your perfume, (if you can afford it, probably not) and the fumes from your automobile can cause the same health issues. Point being, this is a free country and non-smokers have no rights greater than smokers. Lastly, and this is only a guess, but losing around 150 lbs and lifting your fat a– off the sofa might just help with your afflictions. Again, both non-related to smoking.
Bryan: You are smoker, smokers don’t get to give other people health advice or grammatical advice. How much do you weigh?
And, what’s with that nose? You should be sitting in the backseat to give it room. LMAO.
I was trying to think of timeframe, but it would have been around 2005 I was flying on a Russian domestic flight from either Irkutsk or Novosibirsk to Khabarovsk and it was one of the most bizzare flights I had ever been on.
I was expecting a quiet night as it was a red eye flight., but it was anything but. The seats, oddly enough, folded down to make more space, people were smoking on the flight, the airline attendants were pushing an alcohol cart down the aisle singing and dancing and drinking with the passengers.
That was the last smoking flight I remeber.. 2005ish..
People today! If you told them to go backwards, everybody will do that without question! This world is start to be Idiocracy shit-hole! No freedom of choice anymore. We jump from democracy to fascism in last 30 years.
When I was a kid back in the 70s we travelled across the atlantic many times (mainly PanAm or BA) My father smoked so we ended up in the front row of the smoking section as a family.
Would horrify me now putting my kids in such a situation
Oddly certain American aircraft still have to build an ash tray into the exterior of their toilet doors!
All do, to my knowledge, as this is still a FAA requirement.
It’s required by the FAA so that the aircraft has a designated safe place to put out a lit cigarette in the event that a passenger lights one up despite the no-smoking policy.
I personally love all the attention smoking has gotten over the last few decades. Back in the 60’s and 70’s all the attention was on chemical plants, refineries, car exhaust, and other manufacturing pollution. Then suddenly all the advertising and political hubbub about the dangers of smoking. So usually I tell people violently opposed to smoking have no real voice if the still drive an internal combustion vehicle. At this point I usually here that cars are not that dangerous a pollutant any more. To which I answer okay if that is what you truly believe then let us preform a test. We will get in to matching closed garages. You start your car in your garage. I will chain smoke in my garage. At this point we will see how dies first. That point being made how could you expose your child to the dangers of breathing all the exhaust while driving down a crowded street, highway or in the drive through line at a fast food restaurant. Just something to think about.
Sorry about the typos. Yes, I see them.
You can smoke on a plane. It must be your own private aircraft.
At the Denver, Colorado airport DIA they are building balconies or open spaces on terminal B for people to take a fresh breath of air and even dogs take a crap. Why not Build a couple of open spaces or ( balconies ) for smoker traveler? After all we pay for airport tax and can pick up our cigs butts but a song wont. And believe me some dogs owners are not responsible and pick up after their dogs. As some smoker can care less where to put out their cigarettes.
Agreed.
I love smoking
Smoker here, I can live without it on planes and restaurants. It’s the commercials on tv talking about second hand smoke wafting up through the cracks in your walls or floors and then showing a baby being affected by it two floors up. Ya right, give me a break.
I just read this and everyone here is a lunatic. You can smoke basically anywhere else. Chill for a few hours and do it after you land. No one enjoys second hand smoke. These arguments are futile. Also, yes, just take the Xanax and you won’t even know if anyone is doing anything. Point being, everyone just chill the f*** out, don’t try to talk to me on a plane; no one gives a sh*t about your (probably bs story) step outside the airport and happily rip you a cig if you feel the need. Although, science says and proves you’re going to die. Hopefully you have good genetics and live longer. I like everyone and enjoy the rights we all have, but as an ex smoker, smelling it is so noticeable and intrusive, I genuinely feel sorry for doing that in front of people who had no option and were just next to me at the time. We all have freedom and rights. Don’t get nitpicky with your so called “morals”. I’m sure you ditch those when no one looks and everyone is putting ona fake social persona anyway.
In conclusion, everyone just chill the f*ck out and get along, as I can clearly see both sides making points. Laws are laws and unfortunately that leaves out a certain few for certain things. In fact, try ripping a cig. It may calm you down. Though, I prefer herb now that I don’t want cancer, but that’s just me. I never read into comments and shit, and this has proved I should never do it again. People suck in general. They don’t need a cig to suck at being a person. I hope people can read this and find a middle ground, like me, on most things. If you listen to both sides, more often than not, you will realize the answer is in the middle. Btw the ashtrays are regulation in case someone does light something on fire. It’s a safe place to put anything out. I just realized how much I typed. I’m becoming y’all. I’m leaving, bye. Have a fantastic day! #bringbackactualtobaccopipestheliqourstoresarelyingtoyoulol
When smoking aboard airplanes was banned, airframe mechanics lost the benefit of tobacco stains on the fuselage indicating fatigue at frame joints. a serious issue. As rivets securing the metal skins would wear the smoking saturated air would escape and leave telltale streaks showing where the leaks were. The only positive to smoking on an airplane.
Interesting point.
Its a filthy disgusting habit with negative consequences for others. It takes years off one’s life with others having to help foot the bill through the socialization of medical costs (think insurance).
The sale of burning cigarettes should be banned everywhere.
@Matthew, what’s changed about this post between 2017 and 2023 (and the years in between)? It doesn’t seem to be an annual thing, so I’m kind of curious about the repost. Did you recently encounter a new airside smoking room? Is there a new airline that allows smoking?
It dropped in Google so I am seeing if this pushes it back up.
I remember, as an Air Force pilot, smoking on aircraft was allowed until mid 80’s. As a copilot, I had a chain smoking aircraft commander. At altitude, he would have to turn off his oxygen regulator, I would have to put my oxygen mask on and wear it until he finished smoking. I was very happy when the AF finally banned smoking.
My first flight of any length was in 1967, on a United 727 from Chicago to Reno with a stop in Salt Lake City. It cost about $20 more to fly first class so my pal and I went for it. We were served some kind of meal after each takeoff and each time, along with the food, came a mini-pack of cigarettes. Winstons, I think, four or five smokes to a pack. We were 18 years old and quite pleased. I believe we also had a few drinks. Pleased with that too. What the heck? I left for basic training a couple months later.
when airlines allowed onboard smoking! Fortunately, in today’s smoke-free skies, we can all breathe easily and enjoy a healthier travel experience. Let’s embrace the progress and look forward to exploring the world without the haze of smoke. Happy and smoke-free flying to all!
Nicotine binds to the same receptor as covid- smokers have far lower infection rate confirmed by studies done in France. Also anti microbial. Would covid have spread as fast if smoking on planes was allowed?
FDA admitted in 1997 opening a window in a closed space like a restaurant would provide sufficient ventilation, bringing smoke down to a safe level. A few years later it was banned indoors. An employee working in a smoking allowed workplace breathed in the equivalent to 6 cigarettes in second hand smoke per year. Standing over a fryer at a fast food establishment breathing in acrylamide from rancid oils would be magnitudes more dangerous.
Your risk for heart disease as a smoker drops to zero if you ignore the American heart associations recommendation for dietary fats in the form of vegetable oil
Smoking doesn’t cause cancer in rodents who were given upto 200 cigarettes per day. Read studies done in the 1950s that were ignored and forgotten. Cancer and heart disease essentially didn’t exist before 1930 (introduction of industrial vegetable oils) smokers lived well into old age— oldest person in the world smoked & lived to 122
Smoke causes these oils (they stay in your cells for 7 years after consumption) to oxidise which leads to emphysema, cancer etc. Remove them from your diet and you’ll find you won’t get sunburned, won’t get Asthma, acne, joint pain and lethargy or be at any more risk of cancer than your average person as a smoker.
Quality of tobacco matters too. Additive free/ organic is better.
Our governments are beholden to Pharmaceutical companies who want us to be alive as long as possible but unhealthy enough that we need their solutions. Tobacco is a distraction, scapegoat, a boogie man to point the finger at when it’s very minor part of overall public health that’s been blown way out of proportion.
Yeah I have never been on a flight that allowed smoking but I have been in airports in several countries that allowed smoking inside the airport. In fact, the last trip I made to tokyo, Narita airport had a whole smoking lounge. The Philippines is probably the strictest county I have been in regards to smoking though. You aren’t allowed to smoke in public spaces like in the states, but you also aren’t supposed to smoke in outdoor public spaces either, which in an urban setting like Manila that is basically everywhere outdoors. You are only supposed to smoke inside in private. It’s a bit odd.