Has it ever been allowed to smoke on a commercial airplane?

Question

Recently came back from a holiday and there were ashtrays in the arms of my seat so was wondering if you used to be able to smoke.

How disgusting was that? The cabin must have been filled with smoke?

Answer 1

It used to be the norm to be able to smoke on planes, and in fact one of the reasons that I stopped flying abroad was that I'd had such a row on a KLM plane (though not "dangerously" of course!) with a trolley dolly when, at Amsterdam I had been given a "smoking" seat, and on the plane itself it was strange to see that above absolutely EVERY seat-row EXCEPT the one I was in was a newly affixed "No Smoking" sign.
After the usual glass of orange squash and still partially frozen beef roll I lit up, and oh boy - you'd think I'd just committed murder! (hence the row!).I still finished my f a g, but I never flew again, thanks to the channel tunnel - but that's no smoking as well, so I suppose it was all for the best in the end.

Answer 2

Yes, those were the good old days! Even in 1995 I was flying and we could smoke. No, the cabin did not stink of smoke as they had air filters. Banning smoking on planes wasn't a decision to make the cabins smoke-free for passengers. This was a decision made because the filters had to be changed a lot more frequently, which cost a lot more money. So this was a money saving decisions that airlines made. But planes did NOT smell of smoke at all.

Answer 3

Yes but the practice of smoking on international flights pretty much died out by about the mid eighties. Some airlines still allowed smoking on domestic flights beyond the eighties but I think that practice has also disappeared.

There would have no smoke in the cabin if the filters have done their job properly.

I have no idea why ashtrays are still built into the planes.

Answer 4

It certainly was allowed to smoke on aircraft. With the excellent ventilation on aeroplanes there was not a build up of smoke in the atmosphere. The main reason that smoking was banned in flight was the amount of money it cost the airlines to maintain and run the cabin ventilation system. So to make more profit they reduced the ventilation flow and banned smoking. Now everyone has to breathe in the body odours of all passengers smokers and non-smokers alike. Gross.

Answer 5

To be honest, the cabins were never "full" of smoke, the air change rate was obviously good enough to keep it clear.

You used to be able to smoke on trains, buses etc, it was just the norm in those days, It might seem disgusting now because we are not used to it anymore

Answer 6

Oh indeed you were!! Bizarre though it seems now, when I used to travel to Greece in the mid-80s, the rear 8 or 10 rows were the smoking rows. It must have been hideous for the people in the few rows directly in front of those smoking rows.
In these days of no smoking pretty much anywhere apart from your own home, it seems almost unbelieveable.

Answer 7

Yes at one time you were allowed to smoke on the aircraft - that is why there are still ashtrays present on the planes. Some private jets currently you are still allowed to smoke while traveling.

Answer 8

Yes, I remember the days when you were able to smoke. Then sometime later, we were only allowed to smoke at the rear of the plane. Pretty bad really. This was in the 70's/80's.

Answer 9

Not only was it okay to smoke on planes, you used to be able to smoke practically anywhere. I remember sitting in a doctor's waiting room and there were ashtrays all over the room and people puffing away.

Answer 10

Yes - until quite recently. Mostly the cabins were divided into smoking and non-smoking sections, and the air conditioning suitably directed ... it wasn't as much of a problem as many people think.