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In the last few days budget airline Ryanair have announced that they will be introducing smokeless cigarettes for passengers. Smoking has been banned on commercial flights since the 1990’s but in a recent suvey 24,000 of their passenegers indicated that they would like to light up during a flight. The smokeless cigarettes, which ironically you don’t light up, release a small amount of nicotine to the user and produce no harmful chemicals or toxins to those around them.

Personally I’m slightly bemused. I can see that it would reduce stress levels of die-hard smokers who find it difficult spending two hours between smokes but there are hundreds of patches and chewing gums that deliver the same nicotine hit without the physical presence of a look-a-like cigarette. Instead of selling them a pack of smokeless cigarettes for around £5 why not give them some nicotine gum. I also object to the visual aspect of smokeless cigarettes, they look like toys .. my children will be intrigued, they will ask questions and although the smokers will be idly unaware due to the relaxed nicotine state, I will be two rows behind explaining to my children for the entire flight what they are and why they can’t have one. Ryanair should, in my opinion, conduct another survey of irritated parents then maybe offer free nicotine chewing gum instead.