Smoking on flights: Why is it so dangerous?

IT IS 2018 and scientists are making miraculous breakthroughs in medicine, women are standing up to the patriarchy and a woman of color is marrying into the British royal family.

Earlier this week a man on his way to Bali was booted off a Citilink flight seconds before it was due to take off from Jakarta, Indonesia, because he was reportedly smoking on the tarmac as he approached the aircraft.

The plane was refueling at the time of the incident which only added to the severity of his crime.

Other passengers filmed police and airport security manhandling the passenger off the plane after he refused to disembark.

The man can be heard in the video asking if he would be put on another flight to Bali that evening. However, that should have been the least of his worries at that point in time as Indonesia’s Aviation Law states that committing acts that could endanger flight safety is punishable by up to two years imprisonment.

But why is itso dangerous?

Smoking was only banned 28 years ago on most commercial flights. First in the US and then slowly across the world. Flight attendants had long campaigned about the second-hand smoke they had to breathe in and the stink it left on their uniforms and in their hair.

Smoking is harmful to your health, every report and study says so, but the effects of secondhand smoking are equally as hazardous, so why should non-smokers have to suffer?

Also, an average long-haul flight of around 10 hours uses approximately 36,000 gallons of fuel. Which of course would ignite quicker than a blink of an eye if it met an open flame, or say a cigarette.

While some people protest that “If you’re not supposed to smoke on planes then why are there still ashtrays in the bathrooms?” Well, if someone is foolish enough to spark up on an aircraft, the crew still needs somewhere safe and out of the main cabin area to dispose of the butt.

In addition to the two-year imprisonment that smoking on an aircraft carries, violators could also face paying a US$175,000 fine under Indonesian law. Is a quick mid-transit puff really worth it?

The post Smoking on flights: Why is it so dangerous? appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.

Source: travelwireasia.com