Are e-cigarette's allowed?
 

Flew DEN-NRT and the passenger next to me was clearly huffing and puffing on their e-cigarrette during the flight. Is this allowed? I am familiar with the concept and have seen it a number of times being used in Hawaii, but was not sure if they were allowed or not.

Unfortunately, I believe they are allowed.

UA says:
This is buried on their dangerous goods policy page ( https://www.united.com/web/en-us/con...dangerous.aspx ). You might also try looking for it in the in-flight magazine, Hemispheres.

Nope.

http://www.united.com/web/en-us/cont...dangerous.aspx

Thanks for posting that. This is one case where I'm glad to be wrong. Though it sounds like at least one team of FAs doesn't know about this either.

the allowability of e-cigs is a gray area and in general unless specifically disallowed (and cigarette bans strictly do not apply) then there is no prohibition. Many entities are looking at re-writing their rules to also ban e-cigs or including e-cigs in the cigarette bans.

Technology moving fast than the rules.

HOWEVER UA has ban e-cigs (but the FAA or DOT have not)

Perhaps out of date , Sorry Smokers, You Can't Use Electronic Cigarettes On Airplanes (2013)

Hemispheres says:

"We prohibit the use of electronic simulated somking devices (cigarettes, pipes, cigars, etc.) on our flights."

Too bad they don't prohibit chewing tobacco, too. I had a totally unpleasant flight recently sitting next to a jerk who was cursing me (after I booted him from my seat he poached) between brownish spits into a 20 oz. soda bottle.

Nice image! :) I used to work with a guy who would spit into the wastebasket near me - needless to say, it was a summer job..

I wonder if durian is prohibited...

Thanks everyone. Given the Dreamliner "issues", I at first was alarmed because it appeared that smoke was rising from the lavatory near 3E (I was in 3D and we had just taken off), so when I began looking around I was releived to see it was just my seat mate using e-cigs which I now know are banned on UA flights. I will report this to the flight attendants next time. FWIW, he quite using it the last half of the flight, but still.

I hate smoking and cigarettes, but I can't understand why someone would find these offensive, unless they misunderstand the technology.

My friend uses one and the thing is, they do have an odor, albeit it very slight.

I'm all for allowing smoking on airplanes still (that's a totally different discussion), but it's not like these things are totally harmless.

Use of Ecig is banned. Possession is not. And not that I would suggest this but the bathrooms smoke detectors don't pick up vapor. Also you can hold the vapor long enough it will not be visible when you exhale. I would never do it at my seat to many passengers over react to small things.

On a side note somewhat on topic as an Ecig user how in the world has the FDA not started studies on this. Everyone is banning because they are "unhealthy" but no one wants to actually prove or disprove it.

That OK, I can't understand anyone who considers them acceptable.

The odor depends on the flavor of the vapor. There are alot of fruity flavors people vape and those tend to have more odor. Lots of menthol/minty flavors to.

As a former smoker now vapor I am not in favor of smoking on a plane not because I hate the smell but the fact that if other people were smoking next to me for that long I would have to switch back to an analog cigarette.

I'm just confused as to what's unacceptable. There is no legitimate second-hand smoke concern. Indeed, there's no smoke. It sounds like maybe there's an odor, so maybe that's something, though the odor is probably arbitrary. I've never noticed an odor from people using them around me. Is it the smoky look?

If the airlines would simply bring back smoking on planes this would not be an issue. :rolleyes:

Simply take your e-cig to the lave. No smoke alarm will go off. Puff away! ^

Airlines also should ban gum, chewing tobacco, perfume, dogs, cats, kids and old people (myself included). :rolleyes: OK, the kids can stay, but 5 rows away from me. Old people 3 rows away.:rolleyes:

Dogs and cats need to stay home or be put in the luggage compartment. Some people are allergic. If not, bring back peanuts!

The only part of this post that is serious - puff away in the lave. It is not smoke, only vapor. The allergic part is correct as well.

A coworker smokes ecigs in the office, i bought some for a family member - IME they appear completely odorless to neighbors (i am sure they still deliver plenty of harmful stuff to the smoker).

However from the airplane use standpoint i am somewhat concerned about vaporizing part - not the toxicity or smell under normal operating conditions but potential malfunction and either leak or fire...

I assume the main reason they are banned is because airlines don't want others that do no understand the technology to think that it is okay to light up regular cigarettes.

Otherwise, it's just a little scented water vapor that escapes. I have several friends that use it and in any kind of reasonably well ventilated area it's hard to tell they're even using them.

The smell would be a bit annoying on a plane (depending on the liquid) but otherwise causes no health or safety concerns for fellow passengers.

Its a battery and a heater. Less complicated then any of the electronics currently used such as ipad, laptop, phones, etc. If your worried about malfunction there is far more danger in those then an ecig.

We are probably getting OMNI, but do you have different information
Secondhand vapor from e-cigarettes contains nicotine but not other toxins: study

FDA: Second-hand smoke from e-cigarettes may be harmful to your health

Are e-cigarettes safe to use? New research shows metals found in vapor of electronic cigarettes

They emit odor, chemicals in the vapor, as well as second-hand smoke.

Smokers and drunk drivers share the same issues in that their actions selfishly affect innocent people. But, I digress.

There's nicotine in the vapor. Small amounts of nicotine are not dangerous. There is no smoke. That's just a scared-people myth.

As well as many other chemicals:

Someone made a little nutritional label for an organic Apple or something similarly mundane to show all the evil terrible things in it. Google it. Being scared of evil chemicals is so 1997. But you concede there's no smoke, right?

To get vaguely back on topic: I wouldn't mind UA changing this policy. I'd rather people do it out in the open than hogging the lav.

I don't ever use this product. I stick with the real deal - camel non filtered - 3 packs a day. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Second hand smoke. There is NO smoke - only vapor, which the smoke detector does not detect in the Lave, therefore it is not smoke.

Are these prohibited on UA and almost all carriers? yes. Do people use them? yes.

Move to CA and enjoy the friendly skies. (smog in LAX and fog in SFO) :)

And more people using ecigs than real ones! At least here in LA.

This forum is known to the state of California to cause...

I'm extremely sensitive to cigarette smoke and I can tell when someone is smoking e-cigs before I see them doing it. Irritates my lungs. So I am relieved to hear that UA has banned them.

All major carries have banned them, for no reason. I guarantee you could not smell "vapor" if someone took a poof in the lave. I see you live in SFO - Good choice if you don't like cigarettes. I love SFO. My last visit, I had many options, give a bum $$ (several times, all over downtown), Prostitutes, Smog, etc.

At least in LAS you have all the same except we in LAS have timeshare salesmen. Trump. :p

My nephew started using e-cigs trying to quit smoking. I applaud his effort. But the kind he was using I found very annoying. Sounded like he was sucking on a bong all night with the gurgling sound it was making. Don' know if all are like that as is the only one I have ever been close to. Also found the smell unpleasant. I would not like to see these on planes.

Do you have any cats or dogs ?

You know I could say the same about those who decide to travel and bring the cats or dogs with them on the plane right ?

Both cats and dogs have odor especially dogs, and even there is a cage, they are animals, so they can't hold like human does have to piss and poop in the cage, there goes with the chemical, and there are many people who are allergic to cat and dog fur, which could trigger an allergic reaction from rashes to an asthma attack, so are these people selfishly affect innocent people as well base on your assumption ?

Wow. I agree 100%.

There is no point here in one side trying to convince the other. The one thing about this thread that is toxic is the mere topic.

I vape. I love it. People who never allow smoking in their homes and cars often ASK me to vape there, as the "choconilla haze" flavor I use most often is found by many to be very pleasant.

I vape in rental cars. I vape in non-smoking hotel rooms. I travel a lot, so if they put off a foul oder, you can bet I would be in bankruptcy from all the fines by now. Fortunately, most people find them to be anything but offensive.

There are three primary reasons that ecigs are prohibited on planes. First, it would be a nightmare for FAs. That is the primary reason. Between trying to determine if the vapor they see is vapor or smoke, they would never get a rest. For this reason alone, I support the ban.

Second, we live in a politically correct world. It has become hip to dislike smokers. Vaping looks like smoking, so many people hate vapers for simply looking like smokers. I don't like to be around smokers, either, but I'll die fighting for their right to do so (somewhere other than the plane on which I'm seated).

Third and final reason for the ban is that some people are actually stupid. I know that may come as a shock, but if some "stupid" smoker sees vapor a couple of rows ahead and thinks it is smoke, notices that the FA is in full view of it and allowing it, then guess what that person is likely to do? Light up their tobacco cigarette. Then you could have a mid-air fight, in which I might even participate under certain circumstances. (j/k)

I, of course, would never do so, but I know people who vape in the lavs, and there is never a sign of "smoke" coming from within. It dissipates too quickly. Unless they are intentionally blowing out the vent at the bottom of the door (see "stupid" above), then nobody will ever know they were vaping in there. If you see "smoke" coming from the lav on a 787, please, please, please report it post haste!

Finally, for anyone considering holding in the vapor so that nothing comes out, don't do that. The liquid is designed to be inhaled and exhaled promptly, just like a real tobacco product. Leaving the vapor in your lungs too long can cause bleeding.

Utterly vapid thread. :rolleyes:

Maybe I don't want to inhale nicotine and who know what other volatile compounds are in the vapor in e-cigs?

Interesting, so it is okay to expose other people against their wishes to this same vapor that can cause lung bleeding? (of course its not, which is why it shouldn't be allowed in confined spaces.


I also am not really keen on having dogs in planes, even though I love them and have my own. I guess in general I like clean air in my planes. A sweaty smelly dude is as bad as a tobacco to me.

My wife used to smoke. She quit a couple of years ago with the help of e-cigs, which she still uses. I hate smoking and the smell (yes, I'm a reformed smoker and you know how we can get). She agreed not to smoke in the house but even when she went out to the garage I could still smell it. Now she can smoke an e-cig in the car next to me and I hardly notice.

Not sure why people would find them any more unacceptable than drinking beer on the plane (which has a stronger odor than an e-cig). Or having a smoking room in the boarding area and then having someone with smoked drenched clothes sit next to you.

Smoker and dog owners all seem to think that they don't have an impact on anyone else. My smoke shouldn't bother you. My dog is just being friendly.

"some"????

No. And I agree with you about animals inside of the PAX cabin and how they could cause allergy problems.

This is really the only UA-related discussion in this thread. The remainder of the posts debating the pros/cons of e-cigarettes seems a better topic for OMNI. As such, I'm closing this thread.

FlyinHawaiian, Co-Moderator
United MileagePlus Forum