Electronic cigarettes don't fly with DOT

If you’ve ever flown Virgin America, the pre-flight video about not smoking on airplanes has to be among the most amusing attempts by any airline to make the best of a bad situation.

Well, bad for smokers. A breath of fresh air for the rest of us.

Flying is about to get even tougher for some hard-core smokers.

The federal Department of Transportation has proposed a ban on electronic cigarettes on airplanes, too.

You know, those things that look like cigarettes, feel like cigarettes, draw like cigarettes and tastes like cigarettes – all of which keeps their users from running up and down airplane aisles screaming and ripping their clothes off and tearing at their skin, all because they’ve been denied nicotine.

As an alternative to smoking the real deal, the electronic cigarette is a pretty drastic alternative. Here’s how Wikipedia describes the process: “The device uses heat, or in some cases ultrasonics, to vaporize a propylene glycol- or glycerin-based liquid solution into an aerosol mist, similar to the way a nebulizer or humidifier vaporizes solutions for inhalation.”

Not surprisingly, the DOT cites a concern over a “lack of scientific data and knowledge of the ingredients in electronic cigarettes,” in proposing the ban. The DOT also notes that some electronic cigarettes are delivery systems for tobacco’s active drug, nicotine.

“Airline passengers have rights, and this new rule would enhance passenger comfort and reduce any confusion surrounding the use of electronic cigarettes in flight,” said Secretary Ray LaHood in announcing the proposed ban.

The department claims that its current ban on on-board tobacco products already includes electronic cigarettes, pipes, cigars and other such devices but is adding explicit language to “to eliminate any confusion.”

DOT is not ahead of the pack. Amtrak bans them, says DOT. So does the Navy, below decks on submarines. And several states ban their sale. Even the Air Force Surgeon General has issued a statement of concern.

The Transportation agency published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in today’s Federal Register, clarifying that the current ban includes electronic smoking devices. Comments on the proposal can be submitted through the Federal Docket Management System at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. DOT-OST-2011-0044 through Nov. 14, 2011.

Smokers might also take note that the Department of Transportation is also considering a ban on smoking – tobacco and electronic devices – on all charter flights of U.S. and foreign carriers with capacity for 19 or more passengers.

That could turn some Las Vegas-bound charter flights into a very edgy experience.