A man travelling on Spirit Airlines ignored the well-known (and well lit) instructions not to smoke on board. To our joy, the whole incident was captured on camera so that we can all learn from his mistake. Needless to say, it didn’t end well.
Smoking on planes is illegal. That’s pretty much one of the most well-known things about air travel. However, it seems that the no smoking light was just not bright enough for one dim passenger on Spirit Airlines this week.
What happened?
A passenger on a Spirit airlines flight chose to light up mid-flight, much to the astonishment of his fellow travelers.
The neighboring passenger not only failed to stop the guy from committing the ultimate faux pas, but also captured it on camera for all the world to see. Check it out, the reaction of the guy in the opposite seat is priceless!
The Spirit Airlines flight attendant handles things with astounding decorum and calm. Whereas his head must have been screaming out ‘Aaagh, this guy is smoking, what do I do??!’, his mouth managed to say:
“You cannot smoke on the plane. It’s against the law. You know that right? Where’s your boarding pass?”
The guy reacts as if he’s just landed on planet earth with a bump. Clearly, he completely forgot he was on a plane, and was simply chillin’ as per usual. His genuine shock and astonishment as he clutches his head when he realizes what he’s done… well, frankly we can all relate.
Some, however, have been calling out of the dude in the adjacent seat for ‘snitching’ on the smoker. In the video, he clearly couldn’t quite believe his eyes, and attempts multiple times to catch the eye of the crew before giving in and pressing the call button.
But is it really snitching? If someone is smoking on an aircraft, they’re absolutely creating a safety hazard for every person on that flight. In other opinions, this guy was a plain and simple hero.
Obviously, everyone wanted to know what happened next. The original poster was happy to supply details of the next actions:
So, it’s unclear whether this clip was taken as the plane landed, or whether they were, in fact still waiting on the tarmac to depart. Either way, the guy seems to sober up pretty darn quickly when he sees the security detail arrive.
Clearly this was not a deliberate act or a wanton show of rebellion. Rather it seems to be a guy who is somewhat the worse for wear and, perhaps, genuinely forgot where he was.
Why can’t you smoke on planes?
Apart from the obvious reasons (lung cancer, anti-sociality, it stinks), a lit cigarette is a major safety hazard on an aircraft. At least two fatal accidents are thought to have been caused by passengers smoking on board in the past.
Despite the risks of smoking in flight, China only banned the practice in January this year, following a few near misses in recent months. For most other airlines, smoking has been a big no-no for many years. In the US, smoking has been illegal on domestic flights since 1990, and on all flights since 2000, although airlines still provide ashtrays in the bathrooms ‘just in case’.
Clearly this guy either thought it was 1972 or simply didn’t know where he was. With a $4,000 fine standard for smoking on a plane in the US, chances are he won’t make that mistake again!