[Poshgirl58]

There used to be a charter airline operating from BHX called Paramount. They very publicly announced a zero tolerance towards smoking. At least two flights made unscheduled stops en route to eject passengers who had decided to smoke in the toilets. A former colleague decided that she was also going to break the rules, but hastily reconsidered when I pointed out that she would have to pay the costs for the unscheduled stop and could be banned from flying with a number of airlines.

Unfortunately, Greeks will be greeks but if crew are seen smoking then how can an airline successfully enforce a no smoking policy.

[jamesay]

My Favorite story re smoking was a friend was in a biz lounge and was watching a guy having a smoke (in the days when it was legal) and this lady near him says, “Excuse me, your smoke is bothering me”, to which the smoker replied, “Bothering YOU? It’s killing ME!” 🙂

[malbarda]

Years ago, on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to AMS. It was a Saturday morning and there were only three rows of biz class. After take off, the man across the isle from me (the only other biz class passenger) lit up a cigarette. I signaled a flight attendant down and asked her to confirm I was sitting in non-smoking. She said yes, and smoking was on the other side of the isle where the gentleman was sitting…

Also numerous occasions of Japanese passengers smoking in the lav’s on domestic flights in Japan, or on flights to Guam/Saipan (not extremely long flights). On Japanese metal, there was never a fuss, but on NWA they were publicly outed on the flight and a stern announcement would follow.

When we lived in Japan, they had just introduced non-smoking rules. My wife went to Starbucks with our little baby and asked where the non-smoking section was at this Starbucks. She was told it was outside! Talk about reverse engineering!

[LuganoPirate]

Malbarda reminds me when i flew Amsterdam – Geneva with Swissair in First. The cabin was configured 4 seats on each side, and the starboard side was smoking. My first wife booked us and our two young children the 4 seats in the Smoking section. One man was seated in the non smoking section and seeing us all in smoking he went to light up. My ex immediately scolded him for doing so which he didn’t really understand and I could only sympathise with him, but she did achieve a smoke free cabin!

[ReggieHo]

It really was not that long ago that smoking was still allowed onboard commercial flights. Singapore Airlines introduced the smoke-free policy in 1988 but it was not until 1998 that all its flights became smoke-free. Thai Airways only formally introduced such a policy in 2000.

Business Traveller Asia-Pacific will have a one-page story about it (Snapshot) in the January/February issue. Look out for it!

[jsn55]

I know, Stevescoots, I have no trouble on airplanes either … until we are circling for an hour at the destination, then I get a little antsy. The e-cigarettes are really nice to have after dinner now. I have to laugh that some airlines ban them … seems like overkill control to me.

[IanFromHKG]

I am reminded of a flight I took many years ago in China. Upon receiving my boarding pass (back in the days when they indicated whether it was a smoking or non-smoking section) I looked at it and realised it didn’t say which section it was in. So I asked the agent if she could check that I was in a non-smoking seat. Without a word she took the boarding pass back, stamped it with a rubber stamp saying “Non-Smoking” and handed it back to me. Hey Presto! I was in a non-smoking section precisely the same size as my seat!!

I am reminded also of a wonderful letter to the editor in Hk’s leading English-language newspaper during the debate about the introduction of anti-smoking laws in HK about the likely impact on restaurants. As the correspondent pithily noted, having a non-smoking section co-existing with a non-smoking section in a confined space is a bit like having a no-pissing section in a swimming pool…

[Schaible]

@Chales-P: I don’t know where you got your information from that smoking on board is still tolerated on Chinese domestic flights and Air Koryo. Both is wrong, the rules here in Far East have changed pretty at the same time as Europe and US. Best regards from China.

[AnthonyDunn]

Never having been a smoker, and therefore not subject to the cravings attested to above, I have always understood that a smoking addiction boils down to a nicotine addiction. In which case what about either a patch or nicotine chewing gum to address the issue.

Or have I (and the medical profession) missed something here?

[BA4ever]

AnthonyDunn, I agree 100%. And I thought of the exact same thing. If you can’t fly without it, buy gum!

[BigDog.]

The answer as to why ashtrays continue to be installed on aircraft …

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3200911/Why-planes-aren-t-allowed-fly-unless-ashtrays-fitted-smoking-banned-decades.html

[LuganoPirate]

I’m not sure the article is entirely correct. Flying Swiss I can’t recall seeing any ashtrays in the bathrooms so I’m not sure it is a legal requirement.

There was one however on Lufthansa’s 380 in the F bathroom.

[FDOS_UK]

LP

I can’t speak for Swiss, but IIRC at BA a missing ashtray on the outside of a lav door is a deferable defect under the MEL for a few days (minimum equipment list), but a missing inside ashtray mandates the lave being taken out of service and locked shut or the aircraft being grounded.

The reasoning is if someone smokes, it is better to have a proper ashtray than for them to throw the butt end in the waste bin and cause a fire.

I would have thought that anyone with half a brain would have flushed it down the lav to destroy the evidence. Not that I’m condoning smoking in the lavs, it’s caused at least one crash with over 100 fatalities.

But what do I know? 🙂

[StewartK]

On the Saudia internal flights in the 70’s the non smoking area was the starboard seats and the smoking area was port….

[jsn55]

Thanks for the reminder, StewartK, I remember smoking on airplanes, in grocery stores, in taxis. I’m a lifelong smoker, and I can’t believe what the non-smoking public put up for so long! Never mind the health issues, it’s just plain awful to have smoke blowing past your face. I would sooner cut off my hand than smoke in an enclosed area where there are other people. So I am inconvenienced by having to smoke in certain places, I don’t mind the rules at all. Some of them are stupid, but we smokers deserve to be punished for our callous disregard of others for so many years. What really gripes me are my fellow smokers, who throw their cigarette butts on the ground. What a bunch of jerks.

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