Originally Posted by
josmul123
Not to derail too far, but I once asked a FA about the ashtrays in the lavatory. They said they're required to have a "safe place to extinguish a cigarette in the event a passenger decides to light one up."
Not sure if that's a real regulation, but it seemed to make sense.
Yes, it's seriously OT, but I just read about this today.
The ashtrays are installed because even though it's illegal to smoke in the lav, if someone does, it's preferred that they use the ashtray rather than the trash bin. Fire hazard.