Steve Robinson

Banning Electronic Cigarettes on Planes

Some travelers taking advantage of cheap airplane tickets or cheap vacation packages have started to complain about fellow passengers puffing on electronic cigarettes on flights. 

Although such activity is currently discouraged, the Department of Transportation (DOT) wants to unequivocally forbid the use of such devices on planes.

The DOT has proposed a rule specifically banning electronic cigarettes in order to protect passenger rights, improve passenger comfort, and do away with any confusion regarding the use of such cigarettes on planes.

Electronic cigarettes look like regular cigarettes, but they are battery operated devices that turn nicotine into a vapor that the user inhales.  The DOT is concerned about such cigarettes because “there is a lack of scientific data and knowledge of the ingredients in electronic cigarettes.”

The Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association maintains the devices only release water vapor.  The group’s CEO claim’s that DOT’s recommendation “makes absolutely zero sense.”  He claims that only the smoker is exposed to nicotine and that other passengers’ cologne is often far more intrusive than electronic cigarette vapor.

Although the DOT contends that its existing ban on smoking of tobacco products covers electronic cigarettes, it wants to eliminate any future confusion.  Select airline passengers have been “vaping” during flights, contending that electronic cigarettes are exempt from the ban.

The DOT’s proposed rule would cover all U.S. and foreign airlines on flights to and from the United States. 

Article Tags: Banning Electronic Cigarettes, Banning Electronic, Electronic Cigarettes

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