Why do airplanes still have ashtrays when you can’t smoke during a flight?
It’s hard to remember a time when lighting up a cigarette was as common as drinking. Passengers were easily seen lighting up their favorite cigars on flights, at least until February 25, 1990, when President George H.W. Bush signed a law banning smoking. smoking For flights of less than six hours, several countries soon followed suit and the ban on smoking on planes was extended to other parts of the world.
Before then, every armrest on a plane had an ashtray. But amid growing concerns about health risks and complaints from non-smoking travelers, planes began dividing sections into smoking and non-smoking cabins inside the plane. Some passengers also smoked in the bathroom, leading to ashtrays being installed inside the space.
Today, despite a widespread ban on smoking on commercial flights, many planes still have ashtrays in their lavatories. Why?
Safety and regulatory considerations
While the main reason for the ban on Smoking on flights While safety is a health issue, it is also important. Cigarette butts can pose a fire hazard, especially in oxygen-rich environments such as airplane cabins. The presence of ashtrays can inadvertently encourage passengers to dispose of their butts in a designated area, reducing the risk of accidental fires.
But have cigarettes ever caused a fire inside an airplane? According to reports, yes! Cigarettes have been implicated in plane crashes. For example, the EgyptAir crash in 2016 is suspected to have been caused by a fire sparked by a pilot’s lit cigarette.
To ensure safety, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that all planes have ashtrays in good working order. If one is missing or broken, the plane cannot fly. While it is illegal everywhere (except on a few airlines that allow smoking on long-haul flights), for passengers eager to break the rule, ashtrays at least offer a safe place to dispose of cigarette butts. And that’s not to mention hefty fines and even jail time if you get caught!
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