HOLY SMOKES
The dangerous reason planes still have ashtrays despite smoking being banned 25 years ago
Passengers caught smoking onboard an aircraft can be fined thousands of pounds
THERE'S an item that you're banned from using on the plane - despite it being in plain sight.
The doors inside plane bathrooms still have ashtrays built into them.
2
Even though smoking on flights was first banned in 1987 in Australia, followed by the US in 1988 and the EU in 1997, planes are still required to have somewhere to safely dispose of cigarettes to prevent any potential fires.
In a video on TikTok, flight attendant Jessica explained why this is the case.
She said: "Why are there still ashtrays on planes if smoking is banned?
"Because, in case someone doesn't follow the rules, it's a legal requirement to have a safe place to dispose of cigarettes onboard."
Read More on Planes
Jessica demonstrated how to open small ashtrays that were placed directly underneath "no smoking" signs inside plane bathrooms.
Despite only having a few thousand views on TikTok, several people jumped into the comments to share their opinions.
One person wrote: "Flight attendant here, it's because people will try and break the rules, and we prefer that they use ashtrays to hide their cigarettes instead of causing a fire hazard by hiding it in a small corner."
While it may seem hard to believe, Swoop flight attendant Kaylee backed this up in her own video on the social media platform.
Most read in News Travel
More recently, Sophie Tang, who is a solo female traveller, also posted .
She added: "Did you know it's a legal requirement to have ashtrays on flights?
"Even though you're not allowed to smoke, if someone lights a cigarette, there needs to be somewhere to put it out."
Despite the smoking ban being in place for decades, passengers have been known to flout the rules over the years.
For example, in 2019, a man stunned passengers after smoking on a plane while travelling to Minnesota on a Spirit Airlines flight.
Passengers caught smoking onboard an aircraft can be fined up to $4,000 (£3287.74) - although this fee can be higher if other incidents, such as disrupting the flight and tampering with the smoke detector occur.
Holidaymakers could face other consequences too, including being arrested and being banned from using that airline in the future.
Airlines also banned vaping and e-cigarettes on airplanes in 2015, making it legal to bring a vape on the plane, but illegal to smoke it.
Vapes and e-cigarettes should be kept stored inside a passenger's hand luggage.
This is because the lithium batteries found in vapes have been known to explode in the hold and catch on fire.
Passengers will need to consult with their airline to see how many vapes they're allowed to bring on board the aircraft.
Holidaymakers should also check the vaping laws in other countries because some places, like Thailand, Cambodia, and Singapore have strict anti-vaping regulations.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Meanwhile, another flight attendant revealed the passenger toilet habits that she hates having to deal with during flights.
And this is the worst thing you can do in a toilet while on a flight.
2
Topics