Stress, Security, and Cigars

It’s the holidays, people are traveling all across the country to visit family, friends, and just general vacationing. Some travel by various means such as cars, trains, and our most widely used mass transit compliment; airplanes. Unless you have the means to travel via a private jet, or an exclusive airport terminal with no lines, traveling through an airport can have its fair share of caveats.

You arrive at the airport at least 2 hours early (minimum), and then find parking. After parking there is waiting in line to check in bags, finding your tickets, and making sure your bags are not too heavy (or too light). You then have to wait in an even longer line to get through security, taking off half your clothes and empty all your electronics onto a belt along with 3 other people‘s bags, and then put all your clothes back on and repack your bags all in the span of 45 seconds as everyone else is waiting on you for their turn. *sigh* Now you have a small hike across the Italian Alps, I mean the airport terminals, just to find out there is a 45 minute delay to your flight.

By this time you feel stressed and processed, and you would like to relax with a smoke and a drink. Fair Enough. You know, however, you cannot smoke a cigar inside the airport because let’s face it, this is no longer 1979 and smokerism is coursing through the veins of Americans like a shot of adrenaline. The best of my knowledge is that all US and most International Airports have banned indoor smoking.

The reason for this ban is of course for the safety of the passengers and protect patrons from second hand smoke. This sounds like a noble cause, however if you have a dedicated indoor cigar lounge, the smoke would be contained to a confined area, and it would generate revenue along with the dozens of other overpriced shops that pepper the terminals and waiting areas.

Several airports today do have smoking areas outside terminals within a certain distance from the gate, and usually require you to past through security each time you return. Smoking on airplanes is banned because of the safety, health, and overall welfare of the passengers on board. If an airport were to ripristinate back to a dedicated indoor smoking lounges of yesteryear, it would be a tremendous bargain for both companies. You find a very relaxing way to kill time between flights, and the airport benefits from your disposable income.

The irony is that although you are not allowed to smoke indoors before boarding, you are allowed to drink before, during, and after your flight with little to no consequence (as long as you are not acting rowdy and disrupting security). You are allowed to be inebriated with alcohol, but enjoying a cigar before or after flying is somehow the biggest threat to airport health and security, but I digress. My opinion stands that airports could, and should, invest in exclusive lounges to dedicate those who have time to kill, kill it beautifully and with a cigar in hand. What do you think? Should airports allow for cigar lounges? Email and write to us, thanks for reading.