Smoking on a flight

[eis517]

Last week I travelled on AC85 from TLV to YYZ. With about 3-4 hours left in the flight, an alarm from the bathroom went off. I thought it was someone who needed help, but it turned out someone thought it would be wise to smoke on a plane, and it was the smoke alarm. The flight attendants handled the situation very professionally, and described the process. When we landed we had to wait a few minutes for the police to take the man off the plane. I have no complaints about how it was handled.

What I want to know is: How did the man light his cigarette? If it was using a lighter or matches, what is to stop someone from bringing on 2.9 oz of gasoline and lighting a match or lighter, and blowing the gas up? Anyone know how this could have gotten past security in Ben Gurion?

[jj1000]

Lighters are allowed on planes even in the US. Gasoline is not allowed.

[username]

you can carry-on matches and lighters.

Matches in fact cannot go in checked luggage.

[eis517]

Lighters are allowed on planes even in the US. Gasoline is not allowed.

So what is stop someone from starting fires on a plane? If I wanted to cause damage, wouldn't a few people starting fires on a plane do serious damage?

[David Smith]

People used to smoke on flights for decades. They banned it because it was bothering nonsmokers, not because of safety issues. It really shouldn't be more of an arrestable offense than smoking in the park.