Smoking has been banned on planes for decades for safety reasons. However, many passengers are confused because there are ashtrays in the airplane toilet. Some tourists consider the ashtray to be an attraction for passengers to smoke.
But an unnamed British airline flight attendant revealed that there is an important reason why airlines still have ashtrays. He issued a strong warning against anyone trying to smoke during the flight.
“Small cigarette butt marks can be seen on the door. “It does not encourage smoking, but is purely there to prevent safety hazards,” he said, as reported by Express.co.uk, Saturday, October 21 2023.
people dry their hands with. There would be a potentially dangerous fire risk, so we need to have a safe place to throw away cigarette butts,” he added.
He continued, this ashtray is basically a folding box made of metal, so if you pull the top, the box will open and there is a small cavity where cigarette butts can enter. Cigarette butts are better thrown into that ashtray than into a toilet trash can filled with paper.
“But don’t smoke on the plane, you will be put on the no-fly list and possibly arrested… Definitely arrested,” he said.
The beginning of the smoking ban
In 1990, US airlines implemented a smoking ban on planes, and British Airways followed suit on March 29, 1998. According to the New York Post. One of the catalysts for the ban occurred after a Brazilian plane caught fire in 1973. While approaching Paris after a transatlantic flight from Rio de Janeiro.
The incident occurred because a cigarette was thrown into the toilet trash can. A total of 123 passengers died in the plane fire.
Now if a passenger smokes, that person can be subject to a huge fine which may require paying all costs due to the nuisance arising from smoking. Worse still, the smoker can be caught and detained as soon as he lands.
“Cigarettes are basically a no-go item, so if the ashtray isn’t connected to the door, then that should be reported and we shouldn’t fly without it,” the flight attendant explained.
Under the direction of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), ashtrays must be installed in all toilet doors on airplanes because despite warnings and penalties for smokers on airplanes, there is still a possibility that stubborn and addicted passengers will smoke. Ashtrays in airplane toilets are there as a deterrent, not an invitation to smoke.
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