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Your favorite and least airside smoking venues from years gone by?

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Old Jul 17, 2021, 9:32 am
  #1  
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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)
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Old Jul 17, 2021, 7:19 pm
  #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, Murphy’s law would have my flight departing somewhere smack-dab in the middle of the entire concourse so it was always a schlepp
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Old Jul 18, 2021, 5:07 pm
  #3  
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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.
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Old Jul 18, 2021, 7:09 pm
  #4  
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Originally Posted by cblaisd
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.
And another one for LAX which I miss…

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
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Old Jul 20, 2021, 4:28 am
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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..


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Old Jul 20, 2021, 9:49 am
  #6  
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Originally Posted by T8191
Least ...
IAD (B-Gates) but grateful they existed!
....
Forgot about this one...

Yes, on my "least list" as it was way too small (think elongated closet) with lousy ventilation but also yes to glad it existed
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Old Sep 4, 2021, 11:41 am
  #7  
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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.
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Old Sep 4, 2021, 4:27 pm
  #8  
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Originally Posted by cblaisd
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.
I liked the walkway at PHX* as iirc, you were slightly below ground level and got a nice view of the aircraft taxiing in and out of the gates right near the walkway

*except when it was 100 degrees F or greater outside
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Old Nov 4, 2022, 12:48 pm
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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.
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Old Dec 29, 2022, 8:09 pm
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Originally Posted by goalie
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”)
Originally Posted by goalie
And another one for LAX which I miss…

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
Agree completely with these. Even better was the small bar/cafe near the 80 gates at SFO, Cafe Espresso I believe it was called, where you could smoke at the bar. I spent countless hours there back in the day. Their food was good too.
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.
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