That rule, which is in line with ICAO recommendations, also prohibits airline passengers from charging e-cigarette devices during flights.
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Putting an end to any confusion about whether electronic cigarettes violate the ban on smoking on commercial planes, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a final rule Wednesday snuffing out the popular devices on domestic and global flights from the U.S.
The DOT goes on to cite studies expressing concern about the safety of e-cigarette vapor, including one that ties some flavorings with a condition called popcorn lung.
The final rule applies to all scheduled flights of United States and foreign carriers involving transportation in, to, and from the US.
Another reason for the prohibition, Foxx said, is to avoid potential confusion among passengers as to which type of smoking is banned and which is allowed on airlines.
The DoT says that it made the change to protect passengers from the potentially harmful aerosol fumes, particularly young children, the elderly and folks with respiratory issues.
The devices include e-cigarettes, e-cigars, e-pipes, personal vaporizers and electronic delivery systems.
Numerous organizations, including the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, endorsed Durbin’s amendment to clarify the ban on e-cigarette use on airplanes.
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“The department views its current regulatory smoking ban to be sufficiently broad to include the use of electronic cigarettes; however, the prior rule did not explicitly define ‘smoking, ‘ ” officials said in a statement. The final rule will soon be added to the Federal Register, and leaves no excuse for using e-cigarettes on commercial flights. They are prohibited from packing them in their checked luggage under a regulation adopted past year after instances in which suitcases caught fire.
