Your favorite and least airside smoking venues from years gone by?
#1
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
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Your favorite and least airside smoking venues from years gone by?
What places were your favorites? Least favorite? "Secret" places?
Note: this thread is for remembrances NOT for opining about or discussing or criticizing airports for closing airside smoking venues (such will be deleted)
Note: this thread is for remembrances NOT for opining about or discussing or criticizing airports for closing airside smoking venues (such will be deleted)
#2
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Favorite (long gone)
SFO
Clear glass enclosed room in the United Terminal near what used to be gate 80 and the customer service station as it was never a long walk to my gate (even if flying UX in The Thumb)
Least favorite
IAD (and at last count still active)
C4-always crowded close to departure times for the TATL flights and the ventilation is horrible
D30-spacious but horrible ventilation
And both smoking rooms are located at the far end of the C&D concourses and for me, Murphys law would have my flight departing somewhere smack-dab in the middle of the entire concourse so it was always a schlepp
SFO
Clear glass enclosed room in the United Terminal near what used to be gate 80 and the customer service station as it was never a long walk to my gate (even if flying UX in The Thumb)
Least favorite
IAD (and at last count still active)
C4-always crowded close to departure times for the TATL flights and the ventilation is horrible
D30-spacious but horrible ventilation
And both smoking rooms are located at the far end of the C&D concourses and for me, Murphys law would have my flight departing somewhere smack-dab in the middle of the entire concourse so it was always a schlepp
#3
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
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A not-so-secret "secret" place at LAX in the late '90s/early '00s was between the two temporary buildings that pax were bussed to if flying United Express.
#4
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Terminal 6: The outside patio almost at the end of of the ramp walkway near gate 64(?) where in you could enjoy some ramp-side place spotting
#5
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Least ...
IAD (B-Gates) but grateful they existed!
Better ...
CPT (international Departures) Inside but with Bar!
PUJ (Terminal B?) Outside, but no Bar
Best ...
MLA (La Vallette Lounge) Inside for F&B, outside Smoking and with panoramic Apron and Runway views..
IAD (B-Gates) but grateful they existed!
Better ...
CPT (international Departures) Inside but with Bar!
PUJ (Terminal B?) Outside, but no Bar
Best ...
MLA (La Vallette Lounge) Inside for F&B, outside Smoking and with panoramic Apron and Runway views..

#6
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#7
Moderator Hilton Honors, Travel News, West, The Suggestion Box, Smoking Lounge & DiningBuzz
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It's been years since I transited PSP but I recall the gate was actually a separate building and you could smoke outside between there and the terminal.
The now-defunct Terminal 2 at PHX had a walkway between the main concourse and the commuter gates where smoking was allowed.
STL had a much-too-small ventilated smoking pod at the bend in Concourse A.
The now-defunct Terminal 2 at PHX had a walkway between the main concourse and the commuter gates where smoking was allowed.
STL had a much-too-small ventilated smoking pod at the bend in Concourse A.
#8
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It's been years since I transited PSP but I recall the gate was actually a separate building and you could smoke outside between there and the terminal.
The now-defunct Terminal 2 at PHX had a walkway between the main concourse and the commuter gates where smoking was allowed.
STL had a much-too-small ventilated smoking pod at the bend in Concourse A.
The now-defunct Terminal 2 at PHX had a walkway between the main concourse and the commuter gates where smoking was allowed.
STL had a much-too-small ventilated smoking pod at the bend in Concourse A.
*except when it was 100 degrees F or greater outside

#9
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FRA - always fun to see the smoking rooms after immigration and before baggage claim (and customs). These were a contrast with SEN lounge (LH) which *A Gold (incl UA Gold) members could enjoy. The SEN lounge had a very nice spacious area that never felt crowded in the mornings (the fra-sfo flight departed around 2p) as I’d try to arrive close to 9a to enjoy the overall SEN lounge.
#10
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Another great one in the US was the Aviators Lounge in DEN. Always better in a bar setting than a "room"
ATL had a large bar in the international terminal which was nice. CLT had several.
Outside of the US, NRT had several bars with smoking permitted which were great.
Alas, I quit several years ago, but I still dream about it.