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Light Up! Don't Light Up! Conflicted Signs From The Lavatory
My earlier rant about the no smoking light on airplanes will make more sense with this post, which also involved taking my camera into the lavatory. Don't panic! There's nothing to shield your eyes from other than perhaps a strange juxtaposition of smoking/no smoking signs. Seated upon your aerial throne, you're greeted with this confusing situation, as you look at the door:
OK, it looks a bit weird because I had to take three shots to get the whole thing and then piece them together. But you'll get the point. Down below, you've got two signs telling you where to put the ashes from your cigarette. Yet up above, you're told three different times not to smoke (and even more if you could see the signs over the sink). Hey, I can't even remember the last time I was on a flight that allowed smoking. Maybe long, long ago when I was still a teenager, perhaps. So why on earth do these modern planes still have ashtrays in the bathrooms? Second question -- if you are going to have an ashtray but not allow smoking, perhaps there should be a no smoking sign over it, rather than one that looks like an invitation?!!! Third, you'll be happy to know that if you should violate the law, it will cost less in the UK (about $1,900 at the current exchange rate) than in the US. The picture below explains all:
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Next Post: How Many Googlers Does It Take... Comments Comment by Scott | September 7, 2006 3:44 AM Want to comment? If you are signed into TypeKey, you'll see a form below. No form? Click on the sign-in link below, and you can sign-in or sign-up for a free account. Sorry you have to use TypeKey, but I use it to avoid comment spam. All comments currently appear automatically after posting.
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I know it seems strange but there's a regulatory and safety reason for the ashtrays.
If the lav door was designed and approved with the ash tray, it must continue to be installed and maintained. The airlines can't just remove parts even if they seem to be insignificant without approval and certification. We had a door flying around at my airline without an ashtray and got fined for it...And the door didn't have a provision for it.
There continues to be knotheads who light up in the lavs. Ever since the Air Canada incident in Ohio where a a guy tried to hide a cigarette butt in the trash can and set the aircraft on fire inflight, it's felt that there should be some tested, certified and safe place to extinguish just in case.