Today in 1989, flight attendants celebrate the signing into law a smoking ban on all U.S. domestic flights. Flight attendants and their union, AFA, played a critical role in drawing public and political attention to the issue of smoking on airlines by framing the issue around worker health and safety. As a result of pressure from health advocacy groups, flight attendants, and key politicians, Congress passed a temporary smoking ban on flights of 2 hours or less in 1987. Two years later, legislation to ban smoking on domestic flights of 6 hours or less—99% of flights within the continental United States—was passed. In 1983, the Civil Aeronautics Board proposed a smoking ban on flights of 1 or 2 hours duration, on aircraft with 30 or 60 seats, and on aircraft with inadequate ventilation systems. The final decision, effective in July 1984, banned cigars and pipes but rejected proposals to ban cigarettes on short flights or to require special provisions for passengers especially sensitive to smoke. Also in 1984, federal legislation directed the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to review the literature on cabin air quality. DOT contracted with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct the review. In August 1986, NAS recommended banning smoking on all domestic commercial flights to eliminate potential fire hazards and to bring cabin air quality in line with standards for other enclosed environments. This is clipped from the 1935 Betty Boop cartoon -- Judge for a Day.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 10:29:36 +0000
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