E-cigs in flight
 

Ok, so I'm coming up on my 11 year anniversary on FT (lurked for a year before finally posting) and believe my 1st post was in regards to where one could smoke. Yep, I'm a lifelong smoker, leper, social outcast.
Time & mileage finally catching up to me so I am attempting to give up the evil weed for the first time in my 30+ years as a member of the tar & nicotine fiend club.
Have found that e-cigs (electronic cigarettes / nicotine inhalers / vaping devices) actually help me alot in my endeavour. I've gone from 2+ packs per day to 2-6 real/analog cigs per day. Not bad.
With the e-cig, I can smoke onboard, in the lav and in the airport terminals. However, I've noticed that CO and AA now both have verbiage in their in-flight mags that specifically say that e-cigs are not allowed to be used in flight. Likely due to perception issues as the vapor has the appearance (though none of the smell or 2nd/3rd hand issues) of real smoke.
So my question is (or shall I say questions):
-Have you witnessed anyone vaping (smoking e-cig) in-flight? If so, any positive or negative feedback from crew? Which airlines?
-Have you witnessed vaping in airport terminals? Any fall-out?
-What would your response be if your seat opponent began puffing away on an e-cig?
-I'd especially like to hear from any FA's as to what, if any, direction you've been given with regards to 'dealing with' those who vape.

Cheers,

'toad

While I can't answer your question, I just wanted to wish you good luck and I hope you manage to quit!

AS told my husband that as long as it emits anything, they won't allow it. Really stupid if you ask me. We spoke to a supervisor who read through the instruction/info manual and even tried it. But still no go, even though it emits water vapor and nothing else.

Her argument is that it looks like a cig, therefore they can't allow it.
Are you allowed to chew tobacco on a plane?

To me it's just a hypocritical position to take. You are allowed other nicotine replacement products, but not this particular one.
Can you get it in a form that does not look like a cig? Maybe bright pink or something, then it won't look as if you are smoking.

I think e-cigs are a great substitute on a long flight! Besides, you do your seat mate a favor by humidifying the dry airplane air a bit.:D

We also talked to TSA, who said they had no problem with it (this was in SEA, btw).

One word of warning. Hubby bought the package from smokingeverywhere.com. He left it on the charger for a little too long and it smoked out,literally.

You wouldn't want to dip but both Camel and Marlboro have a SNUS product in some areas now.

Also a newer product that I think is going to be in Portland, OR (and maybe Ohio?!) called Camel Orbs, Sticks and Strips..

The Orbs look like a pill, the sticks look like tooth picks and the strips look like those 'quick dissolve strips'.

Or yet, the option of the gum, or even Chantix to help quitting if that is your ultimate desire.

Some airlines ban smokeless tobacco products, but if it's a spitless product, I don't give a rats ... what they think of it.

Trying the e-cigs might just be asking for trouble.

But it's not a tobacco product. There is absolutely no tobacco in e-cigs. It's simply vaporized nicotine. They allow nicotine gum, don't they? If e-cigs are not allowed, then medication that requires vaporization (like children's cold medicine) should not be allowed either. The supervisor we talked to had no problem with the concept, it was the vaporization she had issues with. Wich, IMO is silly.

I wouldn't recommend Chantix. My husband suffered less than pleasant side effects from it, and after two months of using it, cigarettes still tasted the same. It made him very lethargic, anxious, pushed up his bp. If you have ever had any issues with depression, steer clear of Chantix. I have also heard of people suffering "withdrawal symptoms" after quitting Chantix.

That's fine and dandy but how does one use it? You take an item, the shape and size of a cigarette and put it in your mouth like a cigarette, then you inhale on it and a cloudy looking substance is the result, much like a cigarette. Guess what everyone around him would think it is? Guess how much of a hassle the FAs would have in trying to explain it to everyone complaining. Should they get on the PA and let 100 or so pax know that your husband is utilizing a nicotine vapor product that happens to resemble and act like a cigarette.

If it was a square box and didn't have any by product (even if it is just vapor), would it be a problem? Probably not.

I am a smoker too, so I KNOW the pain, I am practically punching people to get outside after even a 4 hour flight. However, there are conspicuous ways of getting a fix that won't involve the entire flight.

Or, to keep it simple, keep the e-cig in the lav.

In case anyone else is curious about Chantix, it is a black warning product. However, when I was on it for a week, I did not have any reactions to it, except I smoked a lot less and didn't have any cravings. Other reasons prevented me from continuing the product, but from what I experienced, it really does block the affects of nicotine.

I'll qoute myself here:

Of course, when you get of the plane you can switch back to the cig looking one.

If you can sit in a non-smoking bar/restaurant with an e-cig, why not on a plane? You don't have to exhale, so it won't look as if their is smoke, and there will be a notable lack of smell. The person sitting in row 25 is not going to notice, or be inconvenienced by the guy in row five with his e -cig. Of course you can also apply common courtesy and inform your seatmates that you would really like to use your e-cig, if it would be okay with them. :)

AllTheNamesWhereTaken,

I apologize, I thought maybe by posting on this subject you would be open to the opinion of others. I guess that is not the case since your intent appears simply to justify it.

I must say though, I don't see it working out, no matter how you swing it. Non-smoking bars and restaurants? With out any hassle? Give me a break.... Even if that was true, a plane is not a bar restaurant, it is a tiny tin can with a bunch of pissed off passengers ready to pounce on anything taboo.

That just seems like a awful lot of work and hassle to go through when you could just go into the lav. Since the only by product is water vapor with no smell, it obviously wouldn't set off the smoke detector nor would it smell like a cig to the next person. It just seems like a much easier option than trying to explain it to everyone around you including the FAs. Just my two cents from another smoker.

No problems in bars & restaurants
 

I've been is SFO area and in Sonoma county all week. Even here, not a word from anyone in hotels, bars, restaurants. Some funny looks, but that is about it.

For the record, I'm using a 'pen style', reddish/maroon colored e-cig. It is about 8 inches long and really looks like a pen. The water vapor dissipates pretty quick so most folks likely don't even notice the 'smoke'. Probably they just think I'm a neurotic chewing on a pen!

We all know how tolerant Californians are towards smoking & smokers, so I reckon if I can smoke it here I can smoke anywhere!

As for utilizing different methods (patch, pills, chew, etc) I liken it to dieting. If you really enjoy food and the act of eating, taking a diet pill really isn't going to help you lose weight or want to eat less. But if there was a food substitute that tasted remarkably the same, gave you the same sensation of chewing, swallowing and full belly with 0 calories...

Thanks for all of the responses! Still would like to hear from an FA for their perspective.

PS - there is a commercial pilot that posts on one of the e-cig boards that uses e-cigs all of the time in the cockpit. Allegedly.

Normally that's what I do
 

Seems like I'm doing something illegal though if I have to sneak it.

Now I'm just waiting for some enterprising soul to make liquid THC that can be vaporized in one of these devices! Just kidding. Sort of. :cool:

I certainly hope that a parent would be told to put it away absent a doctor's precription. "Vaporub" and similar are foul smelling stuff, nearly as bad as tobacco smoke.

As for vaporizers for nicotine (or cannabis, were it legal), an airplane is a much more enclosed space than a non-smoking bar or restaurant.

No E-Cigs on Planes.
 

I got a bulletin about this...I'm a flight attendant...and I'd never HEARD of these, and neither had my parents, both of whom smoke. The bulletin told us: NO E-CIGS ON THE AIRPLANE. There you have it.

Details?
 

Thanks for that! Can you let us know any details about the content of the bulletin? Just curious if there was any reason / reasoning along with the statement or just the statement. Which airline?

And if I were your seat mate, I would inform you that I REALLY dont want you to use an electronic device that I know absolutely nothing about that vaporizes a chemical on an aircraft loaded with 100,000 pounds of flammable jet fuel.

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! :D

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

Can't smoke them on US either
 

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! :p

Newbie here. You can buy the cartridges without any nicotene also. I vape level one and sometimes coffee flavor. I have vaped in the doctors exam room and never had a comment. Vaped in the lav on my last flight, in the lav next to the galley in business class and no comment when I came out the door.

For anyone who uses eCigs, whats a good brand and or site to find them?

US, the vapor guys-they have a phone number for the site-or per their recommendation and I have ordered-Janty.com. Good customer service.

I use the Green Smoke E-cig. I really like it because unlike the ones that come in three pieces, mine doesn't leak. Mine is two pieces as you can see from their website. You can also choose your level of nicotine, which I like. I am actually ready to downgrade my level of nicotine. Check out their site or do a search for others, but I recommend you purchase a two piece unit versus the three piece.

Ryanair sell these on board:-

http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/gen-en-200909

First time I saw it, it felt like I'd been taken back 20 years. These don't emit anything at all, though.

Neil

I had a bad experience with www.smoke51.com, so would not suggest buying your e-cig from them. They advertised, and I ordered, a $9.99 "starter kit," (no longer advertised) and then billed me $89.95 and started automatic monthly shipments of $29.95. It took a dispute through American Express to get them to stop.

Just today Shenzhen airport pulled my purse for inspection and found the dreaded E-cigs. They thought it was a pen? After they let the items go through there was an announcement on China Eatern that no E-cigs were allowed to be used on the flight. This announcement was not made from Shanghai to Shenzhen. Hmmm. However I did not and would not smoke E-cigs on an airliner in China in public areas, too cautious.

Interesting idea, they can get more revenues as well, I wonder if it would expand to other airlines. It would definately be a good sell for airlines in Japan (JL,NH) and China (CA,CZ,MU) where majority of Japanese and Chinese are heavy smokers.

I know JL and NH used to provide nicotine patches of some sorts on their long haul flights, not sure if they still do now.

Anti-smokers will always say something as long as one is putting something look like a cigarette in the mouth, then exhale something like smoke. I can bet those who said they smell like ciagrette smoke are those anti-smokers.

I also agree when they said they made different flavors the reason is to target kids, whereas when kids start smoking are usually Newport and Marlboro reds. Those like different flavors are adult smokers. I still miss those Camel's flavor cigarette in a metal tin box. Those were selling more expensive and kids doesn't have money wouldn't pay more for that in the beginning.

Looks like the state of CA is suing e-cig manufacturers:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BA4L1BHRER.DTL