Why plane bathrooms still have ashtrays - a flight attendant explains
For most travellers, the idea of smoking on a plane doesn't even cross our minds these days.
After all, Australia was one of the first countries to completely ban smoking on domestic flights way back in 1987, and on international flights within Aussie airspace in 1990.
But for those eagle-eyed flyers who have wondered why on earth planes still have ashtrays in the bathrooms to this day, Dallas-based flight attendant Cher Killough has revealed the real reason.
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Regulations require that even new aircrafts have ashtrays built in. Getty Images/iStockphoto
After five years as a flight attendant, Cher explained it's a frequent question she gets from passengers.
With most of us so used to seeing the 'no smoking' light constantly on whenever we're on an aircraft, it seems bizarre to still require somewhere to extinguish a lit cigarette.
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"I get asked all the time why there's ashtrays in the bathroom," said Cher in a TikTok video. "People think our planes are from the '70s or something."
However, while most of us abide by no smoking rules while on aircraft, Cher revealed there have been instances where people have broken the law.
Watch the video above.
Flight attendant Cher Killough has revealed the real reason why airplanes still have ashtrays. TikTok/cherdallas
Nine/Graphic: Polly Hanning
"It's actually there just because people have smoked onboard when they're not supposed to," she said. "In case that happens, we have to safely put it out."
This means that due to regulations such as the Federal Aviation Administration in the USA, even brand new aircraft have ashtrays located in the bathroom.
Despite the ban on smoking following several air disasters that were linked to fire hazards created by cigarettes, there have still been recent cases of travellers lighting up while in transit.
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No smoking signs are everywhere on airplanes these days. Getty
The BBC reports that an abusive airline passenger who lit up a cigarette while drunk on a Jet2 flight back to the UK from Turkey was jailed in 2024.
It's exactly for this reason that Cher explained you'll always see ashtrays on planes.
"Next time you see that or you yank an ashtray thinking it's a door handle to the [toilet], just know that that's why it's there," she said.
