Still looking for an airport cigarette smoking area before your flight? Look no more
Taking a trip by air is tough for cigarette smokers, especially when you have a long stopover. With 32 of the busiest 35 U.S. airports going 100% smoke-free inside, discovering a designated smoking cigarettes area has never ever been so tough. And it doesn’t stop there …
Most of the times, people waste time looking around the terminal for cigarette smoking lounges that no longer exist.
But not you! Here’s the reality: Airport smoking cigarettes areas are rapidly vanishing. Even airports you ‘d least expect, like Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson and Washington Dulles, recently closed indoor cigarette smoking lounges in 2020 and 2023, respectively. Fortunately is, if you understand exactly where you can still smoke (before and after security), then you’ve got a real chance at beating the smoke-free trend. Whether you delight in smoking cigarettes premium brands or value alternatives like Dumont cigarettes, you’re about to find exactly how to save cash, time, and peace of mind on your next flight.
Think about:
You had a three-hour layover. You waited an hour to survive security. And now you’re questioning if there’s time for one last smoke before your next flight.
That’s EXACTLY why this guide is so valuable.
Here’s what you’ll find out …
- Why Airport Smoking Cigarettes Areas Keep Vanishing
- The Last Standing Indoor Cigarette Smoking Lounges
- Smart Methods For Smoking Throughout Layovers
- International Vs Domestic Options
Why Airport Cigarette Smoking Locations Keep Vanishing
Ok, let’s talk about the elephant in the space.
Airport smoking cigarettes areas are closing not even if of a health initiative but because airports are looking to make more money, and 90% of U.S. adults are now nonsmokers. So airports are transforming those old cigarette smoking spaces into retail outlets, fast charging stations for phones, and whatnot.
Makes sense, right?
Why provide a service to 10% of the taking a trip public when you could suit another Dunkin’ or Starbucks?
What’s unexpected is:
The tobacco industry actually combated tooth and nail versus smoke-free airports, and when they could not keep those spaces open, they developed the Philip Morris Airport Options program that had one singular objective– to water down and reverse smoke-free laws. Spoiler alert: they lost.
Airports that utilized to have numerous smoking lounges in multiple terminals are now needing smokers to leave to the beyond the airport, to a designated smoking cigarettes area …
Usually, 25 feet from any entrance.
In the rain.
Or snow.
Yeah. It’s not terrific.
The Last Standing Indoor Smoking Lounges
Ok, so where CAN you still smoke inside in the U.S.?
Well, the list is a lot much shorter than you think, and as of 2025, only the following significant airports in the U.S. offer indoor smoking cigarettes facilities.
Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport
The most smoker-friendly airport in America by a mile. Las Vegas Harry Reid has actually smoking cigarettes allowed every terminal in video gaming lounges, however you have to be actively playing the slots to be allowed in. Terminal 1 near gate C-25 even has a full-service bar in the cigarette smoking lounge.
Terminal D of Nashville International Airport
Cigarette smokers have a Travelers Post available at Concourse B near Gate B10. Not only does Nashville have a smoking cigarettes space, it’s likewise a lounge serving white wine, beer, alcohol, coffee, and stogies. Miami International Airport Miami has a distinct area. It’s actually a TGI Friday’s on Concourse D with an open-air atrium attached to it. It’s 4 walls with a roofing, a space at the roofline, and you’re allowed to smoke while you consume in this area. Fundamental but brilliant.
Smart Methods For Smoking Throughout Layovers
Here’s what the majority of people do not understand … Timing is whatever if you want to smoke at an airport before boarding. Get your estimations incorrect and you’ll either miss your flight or be stuck without nicotine for hours. The Golden Rule: Get here one hour earlier than you typically would. 45 minutes to an hour offers you time to have a pre-security cigarette before TSA lines. Security screening takes about 15-25 minutes, however this can double at peak times. If you have a stopover, it gets a bit more complex. Anything
- over 90 minutes, and you may be able to re-enter the airport after smoking cigarettes outside.
- Between 60 and 90 minutes, and it’s possible with the right understanding of the airport.
- Under 60 minutes? Not a chance. You’ll require to wait till your last destination.
The weather is another huge factor. Standing outdoors in a Philadelphia winter season or Phoenix summer season isn’t enjoyable. Some airports do have actually covered cigarette smoking areas, but these are rare.
International Vs Domestic Options
Things are really various when you take a trip abroad. The U.S. is charging ahead with smoke-free terminals, while numerous global airports have actually continued to keep indoor smoking cigarettes lounges. Paris Charles de Gaulle, Geneva Airport, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport– all have indoor smoking cigarettes facilities previous security. Enjoyable reality? A current research study released by the University of Hormozgan discovered that smokers seated at a distance from ventilation inlets in airport smoking spaces experienced the lowest levels of pollution. So if you do discover yourself in an airport cigarette smoking space, grab a seat far from the vents. The distinction in between U.S. and worldwide airports is surprising … Geneva Airport offers a smoke lounge that’s much larger, better created, and has extractors for smoke and particles in Terminal T1. Mumbai also has several cigarette smoking lounges in both terminals. Tokyo Narita has actually 14 clearly signposted smoking lounges past security. Here in the U.S., smokers are lucky if they get a bench outside.
Making The Most Of Limited Alternatives
Let’s not sugarcoat things. Airport smoking lounges are dying a sluggish but inevitable death, however knowing the reality of where you can and can’t smoke will help you plan future journeys. Whether you’re passing through among the couple of remaining U.S. airports with cigarette smoking lounges or browsing the outdoor-only policies at a lot of major hubs, being prepared is half the fight. Truths: Many major U.S. airports are going completely smoke-free. International airports have more smoking lounges. And preparing ahead constantly beats aimlessly roaming for no-smoking locations that don’t exist any longer. The bottom line is this: Check your airport’s policy in advance of your journey. Download the airport map. Locate the designated smoking cigarettes areas before you travel and– this is very important– always build in additional time to smoke throughout stopovers. Missing a flight over a cigarette?
Not worth it.
Covering It Up
Airport smoking lounges aren’t what they used to be– and they’re only getting harder to find. With major centers closing indoor cigarette smoking locations and relegating cigarette smokers to the outdoors, taking a trip while smoking is more complex than ever. However here’s the important things: Knowing which airports still provide minimal indoor and outside areas, understanding the timing methods that work, and preparing ahead for the existing truth of air travel will make all the distinction.
The smart thing to do? Accept that the glory days of airport smoking lounges are long gone. Plan around the fact that they’re likely to close earlier rather than later. And delight in the couple of that are still around while they last.
Like this:
Like Filling …