Ryanair - smokeless cigarettes on short flights..

August 3, 2009 - ¹Ryanair is allowing passengers to puff on "smokeless" cigarettes during flights. These “cigarettes” are considered “smokeless” and are promoted as a nicotine fix for people who can't wait until they land for their next fag (cigarette). The airplane cigarettes do not contain tobacco—but they do contain nicotine, and they’ve got a Hollywood-style “water vapor” effect to mime the smoke that would normally trail the cigarette. (The cigarettes use cartridges of nicotine that are inhaled before a water vapor that resembles smoke is breathed out by the user.)

Cabin staff on short-haul services sell the devices - which can be legally smoked in public places - at £6 for a pack of 10. Not surprisingly, they’re not that popular among passengers, perhaps because they sell for about $17 per pack of 10.

Martin Dockrell, from Action on Smoking and Health, said: "Our concern with these products is that there isn't much evidence as to their safety."

References: Ryanair allowing passengers to puff on 'smokeless' cigarettes during flights by Tom Parry, Mirror.co.uk News, 27/07/2009; Ryanair’s Pro-"Smoking” Policy by Bryce Longton, BlackBook.com, 7/31/2009.

¹Ryanair operates a low-fares, scheduled passenger airline serving short-haul, point-to-point routes in Europe and Morocco.