A passenger on a flight from Milan to Heraklion was arrested – what was the reason

An incident occurred on a flight departing from Milan and heading for Nikos Kazantzakis airport in Heraklion (Crete). According to cretapost.gr, a 36-year-old tourist from Portugal lit a cigarette in the cabin.

Frightened passengers reported this fact to the crew. The flight attendants persuaded the passenger to put out the cigarette and reported this to the police. At the airport of Heraklion, the criminal was detained.

When was the smoking ban on board the aircraft introduced?

The older generation can still remember the days when airplane passengers could smoke cigarettes without restrictions. Over time, the negative impact of smoking on the environment and the travelers themselves was noticed, and a decision was made to change something. The pioneers in this matter were the Americans.

The first step towards reducing smoking on board aircraft was the introduction by the American airline United Airlines of dividing into two sections: for smokers and non-smokers, and this happened back in 1971. Then, in the late 1980s, this topic was discussed in the US Congress. In April 1988, smoking was banned on board domestic flights for up to two hours. Only on February 25, 1990, almost all domestic flights were banned for smoking, including those with a duration of six hours or less.

Smoking has been banned on all domestic and international flights since 2000. This idea was also approved by other carriers and quickly spread to all corners of the world. There is currently a worldwide ban on smoking on airplanes.

Why is smoking banned on planes?

For two reasons – for the safety of passengers and crew, and because of cost savings. The most important were considerations of fire safety and the comfort of travelers, who had to sit, willy-nilly, like sardines in a metal can, in the fumes of nicotine smoke.

Smoking bans are good for economic reasons as well. In the days when smoking was still allowed, aircraft ventilation had to be adjusted so that a complete air change occurred every few minutes. Currently, it is carried out every 20-30 minutes, thanks to which the cost of fuel consumption is reduced by 3-6%, which means that we can pay less for a plane ticket.

The smoking ban also had a positive effect on improving the appearance of certain interior elements, as cigarette smoke easily penetrated the seats and other equipment, which forced more frequent cleaning. In addition, the ash polluted the seats and uniforms of flight attendants.

It is worth noting that the initiative to ban smoking on board aircraft came from the association of stewardesses in 1960. A quickly soiled uniform is a small thing, as the plane’s staff complained of health problems, namely breathing problems, or a higher likelihood of cancer.

Can you smoke e-cigarettes on an airplane?

Some try to circumvent this ban by taking an electronic cigarette with them, but even in this case, the law for smokers is absolute. On board an aircraft, you cannot use your own electric inhalers, which are de facto electronic cigarettes. The reasons for the ban on e-cigarettes include the comfort of other passengers, because the smell of the vapor is intense, and if several or a dozen people on the plane started smoking at the same time, it can be unbearable and burdensome for other tourists.

How many cigarettes can you take on a plane

Finally, we would also like to remind you of the rules for transporting tobacco products. Remember that their number depends on the direction of movement. Also, please note that the restriction below applies to both carry-on and checked baggage.

Tobacco restrictions in the European Union:

• 1 kg of dried tobacco,
• or 200 cigars,
• or 400 pieces of cigarillos,
• or 800 cigarettes.

Tobacco restrictions outside the European Union:

• 250 grams of dried tobacco,
• or 50 pieces of cigars (for example, only 23 cigars without packaging can be taken from Cuba),
• or 100 pieces of cigarillos,
• or 200 cigarettes.

Tobacco must not be carried by persons under the age of 17.

As the Latin proverb says, “Ignorantia iuris nocet (“ignorance of the law is harmful”), and therefore, before you smoke a cigarette, you should find out what consequences await you, because breaking the ban on smoking on board an aircraft is really unprofitable and fraught.

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