Use of Electronic Cigarettes Not Allowed on U.S. Flights

RICHMOND, Virginia – The U.S. Department of Transportation says
the use of smokeless electronic cigarettes on airplanes is
prohibited and plans to issue an official ban this spring.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the department
interprets smoking regulations to include e-cigarettes. That’s
according to a letter written to Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New
Jersey obtained by The Associated Press.

Lautenberg had asked transportation officials to clarify the
department’s stance. He wrote the 1987 law that banned smoking on
airplanes.

E-cigarettes are plastic and metal devices that heat a liquid
nicotine solution. They produce vapor instead of smoke. They have
prompted debate over how risky they are and whether they’re even
legal.