Buzz
'All Vietnam Airlines flights are non-smoking. Passengers are kindly requested not to smoke throughout the flight, including lavatories and even electronic cigarettes...' This is a typical reminder when flying today. However, many people still smoke and face penalties, especially in the airplane lavatories. It could be because they see ashtrays on the lavatory door 😁. Despite the smoking ban, why are there ashtrays?
In the early days of commercial aviation, many airlines allowed passengers to smoke, often providing smoking and non-smoking sections. This practice was banned by most airlines worldwide in the early 90s for various reasons. Signs prohibiting smoking appeared everywhere on airplanes, from safety instructions to safety lights above, on lavatory doors, and many other places. However, the ashtray, not just one but even two, is still retained on lavatory doors.Seemingly absurd, yet a mandatory provision according to Title 14, Chapter 1, Subchapter C, Section 25.853, Paragraph D, Clause 25.853 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Specifically, 'Regardless of smoking permissions anywhere on the aircraft, lavatories must compulsorily feature a removable ashtray with a closable lid, placed conspicuously near or on the entry side of each lavatory door.'
Far from irrational, as cigarette remnants have triggered numerous tragic aviation incidents. Take the case of Varig Flight 820 in 1973, flying from Rio de Janeiro to London. The Boeing 707 carrying 134 people, including the crew, had to make an emergency landing in a French onion field because someone smoked and discarded a butt into a trash bin filled with paper in the lavatory, causing a fire. Despite a successful landing, many passengers perished before the aircraft touched down, inhaling toxic smoke from the fire. A total of 123 people died, with 11 survivors.
Inspecting the ashtray in the Airbus A330 lavatory, I opened it to find yellow stains. Surely, some lad had smoked and stubbed it out here, pity for that young man :D.Following this incident, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued directive AD-74-08-09 on aircraft safety equipment, mandating 'installation of no-smoking signs in lavatories and tobacco disposal in trash bins; implementation of procedures to inform passengers that smoking is prohibited in lavatories; placement of ashtrays at specific locations with regular checks to ensure proper functioning of waste disposal doors in lavatories.'
FAA believes some passengers might still attempt to smoke despite enacted laws, ubiquitous no-smoking signs, installed smoke detectors in lavatories, or the possibility of flight attendants catching the act. Therefore, if they choose to smoke, it's best to ensure there's a designated area for extinguishing and discarding cigarette butts safely, instead of disposing them in lavatory trash bins, which are typically filled with paper, to avoid a potential Varig-like tragedy.Attention, fellow air travelers! The ashtray on lavatory doors is not an invitation to smoke. Smoking on airplanes is strictly penalized by the laws of each country, with hefty fines. Not to mention the impact of cigarette smoke on those around you and its potential threat to flight safety. So, if you're willing to pay hundreds of dollars and deal with other hassles just to have a smoke on a plane, remember to use the ashtray on the lavatory door to dispose of your cigarette butt.
