Jazmin Li
Smoking is only permitted in designated areas in many airports across the globe. These designated areas are usually located outdoors, around 20-25 feet from the terminal entrances and exits. Some airports, like Indianapolis, do not allow smoking even in outdoor areas. However, airports such as Las Vegas, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Miami International Airport have designated smoking areas or lounges after security checkpoints. A growing number of airports worldwide are becoming 100% smokefree, with nearly all U.S. hub airports implementing no-smoking policies indoors.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of airports that still allow indoor smoking in the US | 3 out of 35 |
| Airports that allow indoor smoking in the US | Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport, Miami International Airport, Nashville International Airport |
| Airports that allow indoor smoking outside the US | Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Mumbai Airport in India |
| Airports that are 100% smokefree | Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Salt Lake City, JFK, Newark, Washington Dulles, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Indianapolis, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok |
| Airports that allow smoking in designated outdoor areas | JFK, McCarran Las Vegas, Memphis, Nashville, Cincinnati-Northern KY, Biloxi, Miami International Airport, Nashville International Airport, Indianapolis, Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Mumbai Airport in India, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport |
| Airports that allow smoking in designated indoor areas | McCarran Las Vegas, Memphis, Nashville, Cincinnati-Northern KY, Biloxi, Miami International Airport, Nashville International Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Mumbai Airport in India, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport |
| Airports that allow smoking in designated indoor and outdoor areas | McCarran Las Vegas, Memphis, Nashville, Cincinnati-Northern KY, Biloxi, Miami International Airport, Nashville International Airport, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport |
| Airports that allow smoking in designated areas and on airport premises | Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Mumbai Airport in India |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
US municipal airports with smoking areas
As of 2024, nearly all U.S. hub airports are 100% smoke-free indoors, including Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Salt Lake City, JFK, and Newark. Some airports, like Indianapolis, are also smoke-free outdoors, with no smoking near building entrances and shuttle stops. Many airports have repurposed former smoking areas into seating areas, retail shops, and charging stations.
However, as of April 1, 2025, three of the busiest U.S. airports still allowed indoor smoking: Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport, Miami International Airport, and Nashville International Airport. Las Vegas International Airport has the most areas where smoking is permitted, including designated outdoor areas near ticketing and baggage claim. At Miami International Airport, smoking is permitted in an 'open-air' atrium with four walls and a roof with a gap. Nashville International Airport permits smoking in Travelers Post, Concourse B.
It is worth noting that the presence of designated smoking areas in airports is a public health concern. Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger heart attacks, strokes, or asthma attacks in at-risk individuals, and long-term exposure increases the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases for airport workers.
While smoking is banned on all domestic and international flights, some airports continue to allow indoor smoking, despite the health risks and the growing trend toward smoke-free airports worldwide.
Airline Switches Departure Airport: What Are Your Rights?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Smoking Laws [Region 2]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51DFqu2xn-L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
International airports with smoking areas
While many airports around the world are now 100% smoke-free, there are still some international airports that provide designated smoking areas.
Miami International Airport (MIA)
Miami International Airport does not permit e-cigarette use indoors. However, smoking is permitted outdoors in specific areas. These include locations across the street from Concourse D, E, F, H, and J, as well as an open-air atrium attached to the airport's TGI Fridays restaurant near Gate D-36.
McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas (LAS)
McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas allows smoking in designated areas.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam has a smoking lounge in the transit area of Terminal T1, which is spacious and can accommodate many passengers. There are also smoking areas located outside Schiphol Plaza before passport control, and inside airport bars after passport control.
Indianapolis Airport
While Indianapolis Airport is smoke-free indoors, it does provide outdoor smoking areas near ticketing and baggage claim.
In addition to these airports, there are likely other international airports with smoking areas, as it is a common requirement for travellers. However, the availability of designated smoking areas may vary depending on local regulations and the airport's policies. It's always a good idea to check the specific rules of your departure and arrival airports before smoking on the premises.
KTN Addition: Airport Options
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$33.38
Airports with smoke-free policies
While many airports are now smoke-free, some airports continue to allow smoking in designated areas. Airports with smoke-free policies include nearly all U.S. hub airports, such as Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Salt Lake City, JFK, and Newark. In 2023, Washington Dulles also implemented a no-smoking policy, and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport followed suit in 2020. Some airports, like Indianapolis, are even smoke-free outdoors, eliminating second-hand smoke surrounding building entrances. These airports have repurposed former smoking areas into seating areas, retail shops, and charging stations.
Internationally, many airports are also 100% smoke-free, including major Asian hubs such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Bangkok. A 2017 study found that 23 of the world's 50 busiest airports have smoke-free indoor policies, including five of the ten busiest. These airports include Salt Lake City International, which closed its smoking rooms, and Denver International, which closed three of its four indoor smoking rooms, with the final room scheduled to close by 2018.
However, some U.S. airports that still allow indoor smoking include McCarran Las Vegas, Memphis, Nashville, Cincinnati-Northern KY, and Biloxi. Internationally, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) also has a designated smoking area after security checkpoints. These designated smoking areas do not effectively stop secondhand smoke from spreading throughout the building, and even brief exposure can trigger health issues in at-risk individuals.
Get Nails Done at Atlanta Airport: Where to Go?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Airports with designated outdoor smoking areas
As of 2024, nearly all US hub airports have implemented 100% smokefree indoor policies, including Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Salt Lake City, JFK, and Newark. However, some airports still allow smoking in designated outdoor areas. For example, Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport permits smoking in designated outdoor areas near ticketing and baggage claim areas. Miami International Airport also allows smoking in its 'open-air' atrium, which has four walls and a roof with a gap at the roofline.
Indianapolis has gone a step further and is also smokefree outdoors, eliminating second-hand smoke near building entrances and shuttle stops. Chicago O'Hare Airport has repurposed its former smoking areas into seating areas, retail shops, and charging stations.
Outside of the US, there are still some airports that provide designated smoking areas, such as Singapore's Changi Airport and Tunis International Airport in Tunisia. However, even in these airports, smoking areas have shrunk over the years, reflecting a growing global trend toward smokefree policies. Major hubs in Asia, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Bangkok, have already gone 100% smokefree.
While the availability of designated smoking areas in airports is decreasing, it is important to check the specific regulations of your departure and arrival airports, as well as any connecting airports, to determine if they provide such areas. It is also essential to be aware of any local laws or regulations that may prohibit smoking in or around the airport.
Tri-Cities Airport: Minors Flying Solo
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Airports with indoor smoking areas
As of 2024, nearly all U.S. hub airports are 100% smoke-free indoors, including Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Salt Lake City, JFK, and Newark. However, there are still a few airports in the U.S. that allow indoor smoking, including Las Vegas, Miami, Memphis, Nashville, Cincinnati-Northern KY, and Biloxi. Las Vegas International Airport, for example, has the most areas where smoking is permitted, including designated lounges and enclosed gaming lounges at several gates. Miami International Airport also permits smoking in its "open-air" atrium, which has four walls and a roof with a gap at the roofline. Nashville International Airport allows smoking in the Travelers Post at Concourse B.
Outside of the U.S., many airports are also moving towards smoke-free policies. A study from 2017 found that 23 of the world's 50 busiest airports have smoke-free indoor policies, including major Asian hubs like Beijing, Shanghai, and Bangkok. This trend is likely influenced by the health hazards associated with secondhand smoke in enclosed spaces, which can trigger adverse health effects in travellers and increase the risk of chronic diseases for airport workers.
While indoor smoking areas in airports are becoming less common, some airports provide designated outdoor smoking areas. For example, Las Vegas International Airport has designated outdoor smoking areas near ticketing and baggage claim areas. Similarly, New York City law prohibits smoking indoors, including in airports like JFK, but permits smoking in designated areas immediately outside terminals.
It is worth noting that the availability of indoor smoking areas in airports may change over time as smoking policies evolve. Airports that once allowed indoor smoking, such as Las Vegas International Airport between 2006 and 2010, may have since implemented smoke-free policies. Additionally, the presence of indoor smoking areas may be influenced by tobacco industry lobbying, as mentioned in sources discussing the efforts to keep smoking areas in airports.
Airport Wagon Woes: Can I Bring It?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Yes, as of 2025, there are 3 major US airports that still allow indoor smoking: Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Miami International Airport, and Nashville International Airport. There are also some airports outside the US that allow indoor smoking, such as Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Yes, there is a growing trend towards smokefree airports worldwide. Nearly all US hub airports are now 100% smokefree indoors, including Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Salt Lake City, JFK, and Newark. Some airports, like Indianapolis, are also smokefree outdoors. Internationally, major hubs such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Bangkok are 100% smokefree.
Yes, many municipal airports have designated smoking areas or lounges located outside the terminal buildings, usually around 20-25 feet from the entrances and exits. These areas typically provide ashtrays and matches for smokers. Some airports also have smoking areas in bars and restaurants.
