I think it would still be safer to smoke them in the restroom. No one would see you there and as the smoke won't set off the alarm, no pesky fines to pay either!

See also "Harold and Kumar Go To Guantanamo Bay" where the use of a vaporizer for cannabis onboard a plane was the subject of one of the movie's big jokes.

Maybe so, but I travel with a small "Tiger Balm" in my carry-on. It comes out about twice/year, when seated next to "hygienically challenged" fellow pax -- for use in a way much as when coroners inspect partly decomposed bodily remains.

Kumar: Forget the mile high club, let's join the really high club!

FTW: I think it was the apperance of the thing that made it look like a bomb (or someone misheard bomb for bong?)

Last alert bulletin we got for our FEM specifically states:
The e-cigarette is an atomizing electronic device which has similar functions to an ordinary cigarette. It contains a nicotine cartridge and a smart chip lithium battery.
They may be brought onboard, but should be securely stowed and may not be used at any time.
It's also listed in the items (PED's) that are prohibited from use any time onboard the airplane.

Thanks for the heads-up!

I find it very interesting that Ryanair is actually selling them or plans to sell them in-flight.

Having said that, on my last trip to SYD I discovered that Nicotrol Inhalers were sold OTC there and picked some up. They are not as gratifying as my E-cigs but do not cause a stir in-flight.

I normally use Oliver Twist chewing tobacco. It is spit-less and pleasant.

Interesting that this thread has been bumped. My husband just encountered this on an AA flight from MIA-SFO. Someone in the exit row pulled one of these out and my husband said it looked and smelled just like someone was smoking a real cig. My husband mentioned it to the flight attendant and the FA ended up confronting the guy in the exit row. After some heated debate, the FA managed to convince the guy that AA had a policy against the use of these devices.

Do they really smell like real cigs? If they are even close I suppose I would prefer that people didn't use them in flight.

I have an E-cig and I can guarantee that mine has no smell what so ever! Someone was just trying to cause a stir with the guy using one. It is a vapor, not a smoke that is emitted.

I feel that in a short amount of time people will get used to this idea of people smoking E-cigs and it will become a norm. Of course there will always be rabel-rousers that must cause trouble. Right now, the FDA is looking into controlling these. What a bunch of horse manuer. They don't control nicotene gum, etc., but because these look like an evil cigarette they want to control them. They are saying that because these can be ordered in different flavors, the makers are targeting kids. Give me a break!

My husband really thought the guy was smoking when he reported the guy. The FA seemed surprised to see that it wasn't a real cig, but AA apparently has a rule specifically prohibiting these so the FA told the guy to put it away for the flight.

After some searching around I can see that many people (particularly non-smokers) say that these do emit an odor depending on the particular flavor being used. The "Marlboro red" flavor apparently does smell like cigarettes, albeit not as strongly or as lingering as real smoke. I'd have to smell these for myself before deciding.

On the *A MegaDo we got to roam through a brand new LH A340. (The bathrooms are downstairs so this way they can fit more seats on the main deck. It's a rather interesting config.) The seats still have ashtrays in the armrests. Someone asked about this, as obviously all LH flights are non-smoking now. We were told that in case someone decides to light up, there's an ashtray where it can be safely extinguished. (Undoubtedly after a strongly worded scolding from the FA &/or Captain.)

But now that this thread has been bumped, does anyone know of any commercial carriers that still allow smoking onboard? I'd be surprised if any are left.

No offense, as you may be the exception, but most smokers' sense of what smells and does not - especially as it relates to tobacco-related odors - is very much weaker than those of us who do not smoke.

I've never been around e-cigs, but I have been around folks using a marijuana vaporizer, and that one definitely smelled. Just not as badly as smoke.

Further, if the vapor emitted goes anywhere except directly into the smoker, it's still exposing those around to it, and in an airplane (because it's a very enclosed space with a lot of strangers and poor air replacement rates), that's still entirely inappropriate.

So a marijuana vaporizer actually utilizes marijuana, whereas there is absolutely no tobacco in an eCig.

I haven't seen anyone anywhere "vaping". That said, I'm sure the airlines will all have language against it. In a terminal, vaping will probably be fine until someone realizes it is nicotine and then they'll invent allergies and asthma that mysteriously showed up when they realized what it was.

No offense taken. I have smoked mine around many non smokers and not once have they smelled anything. There is Nothing to smell. As I said, there will always be the non smokers or the reformers who need to find something wrong with smoking whether or not there is anything to cause them any harm.

I am trying to quit smoking. It's not easy since I have been smoking for many years. This is at least a chance for me not to inhale the many carcinagens that are in a cigarette while I am trying. No one else has to either. I have a feeling that no matter what, the non smokers will find fault with anything and anyone who has anything to do with it.

Vapor is not smoke. It is a steam basically. People emit vapor or steam (if you will) when standing in the cold whether. The same evaporation happens with an e-cig. That's all it is. You can do a search and find good and bad articles until the cows come home. I will just keep trudging along until the day I finally free myself from this smoking addiction. Let them eat cake!