Nowadays, it's almost unheard of for passengers to light up a cigarette during a commercial flight. However, despite the warnings and the little orange light above each seat in the cabin, even brand-new passenger airliners still have ashtrays in their bathrooms. Smoking onboard is illegal, but ashtrays are a mandatory requirement from regulators such as the FAA.

Why can't passengers smoke on aircraft?

Smoking onboard has been phased out over the last 50 years. In the 1970s, United Airlines became the first to prohibit its passengers from smoking in the cabin. After that, as awareness about the effects of smoking became more well-known and smoking in public places lost popularity, other airlines also made the shift.

By 2000, nearly all airlines in the world had outlawed inflight smoking. A particularly notable shift came after the death of a passenger on an Olympic Airways flight in 1998 following an anaphylactic reaction to cigarette smoke onboard.

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An Airplane No Smoking Sign.
Photo: MadamKaye/Shutterstock

The decision made sense, as smoking bans protect the health of passengers and cabin crew in a space where the fresh air supply is already somewhat limited. Moreover, it almost completely eradicates the fire hazard presented by smoking, which had previously led to several air disasters. For the majority of the world's airlines, smoking in the cabin is not only frowned upon but is also illegal.

On your next flight, you'll still notice the telltale signs of that legislation, such as announcements before takeoff reminding passengers not to smoke or use electronic cigarettes onboard. The persistent glow of an orange 'no smoking' warning light above your head is another obvious indicator. Yet, despite the embargo on inflight smoking, some two decades later, you'll still find ashtrays in the lavatory.

If passengers can't smoke, what are ashtrays for?

Under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 's direction, ashtrays must be on the bathroom doors of all airliners. The reason is that ashtrays are there for the passengers who do smoke. Despite warnings and laws prohibiting inflight smoking, some stubborn customers continue to disobey the rules.

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An Ashtray inside of an Airplane lavatory.
Photo: Physics_joe/Shutterstock

Incredibly, this does still happen today. For example, in May of 2019, Simple Flying reported that a passenger was caught lighting a cigarette onboard a Spirit Airlines flight. This begs the question: Shouldn't airlines simply remove the bathroom ashtrays altogether if airlines didn't want their customers to smoke?

This was the thought train of one individual who brought the question to the Federal Aviation Administration. In response to requests for permission to remove bathroom ashtrays in an Airworthiness Directive, the FAA responded:

"The requirement for the presence of an ashtray on or near the lavatory door provides a convenient disposal location for cigarettes (or other smoking material) and thereby ensures that there is a place to dispose of such material in the event that the "no smoking" policy is not adhered to."

An Airbus A320 taking off from an unidentified airport.
Photo: paulpdh/Shutterstock

The FAA added that:

"Previous experience and reports have shown that there is a high probability that these persons may deposit the lighted smoking material in the lavatory paper or linen receptacle when no safe and convenient place to dispose of it exists; such actions can result in an in-flight fire aboard the airplane."

What should smokers do instead?

It's clear that airlines don't condone smoking within the cabin, but they must be prepared for every eventuality. That said, the presence of ashtrays does not give smokers the green light to neglect the safety of others. If passengers feel the need to smoke during a flight, they should not feel encouraged to do so. Instead, they should seek alternatives such as nicotine patches before their flight.

Do you think modern passenger airliners should still have ashtrays, or does this encourage passengers to smoke, in your opinion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Source: FAA