Smoking
Under U.S. government rules, smoking is prohibited on all domestic
scheduled-service flights except for flights over six hours to or
from Alaska or Hawaii. This ban applies to domestic segments of
international flights, on both U.S. and foreign airlines (e.g.,
the Chicago / New York leg of a flight that operates Chicago/ New
York / London). The ban does not apply to nonstop international
flights, even during the time that they are in U.S. airspace (e.g.,
a Chicago / London flight). The prohibition applies in the passenger
cabin and lavatories, but not in the cockpit. Smoking is also banned
on other scheduled-service flights by U.S. airlines that are operated
with planes seating fewer than 30 passengers (e.g., certain "commuter"
flights to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean). Cigar and pipe smoking
is banned on all U.S.-carrier flights (scheduled and charter, domestic
and international). The following rules apply to U.S. airlines on
flights where smoking is not banned (e.g. international flights,
domestic charter flights). These regulations do not apply to foreign
airlines; however, most of them provide non-smoking sections (although
they may not guarantee seating there or expand the section).
* The airline must provide a seat in a non-smoking section to
every passenger who asks for one, as long as the passenger complies
with the carrier's seat assignment deadline and procedures. (Standby
passengers do not have this right.)
* If necessary, the airline must expand the non- smoking section
to accommodate the passengers described above.
* The airline does not have to provide a non-smoking seat of
the passenger's choice. It doesn't have to seat you with your
traveling companion, and you don't have the right to specify a
window or aisle non-smoking seat. Also, the airline is not required
by this rule to provide advance seat assignments before the flight
date in the non-smoking section, as long as they get you into
the non-smoking section on the day of your flight.
* The flight crew must act to keep passengers from smoking in
the non-smoking sections. However, smoke that drifts from the
smoking section into the non-smoking section does not constitute
a violation.
* No smoking is allowed while an aircraft is on the ground or
when the ventilation system is not fully functioning.
* Carriers are not required to have a smoking section. An airline
is free to ban smoking on a particular flight, or on all of its
flights.
None of the regulations described in this chapter apply to charter
flights performed with small aircraft by on-demand air taxi operators.
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