How Old Is This Plane by MaryJayne

fashion magazine & community, created by you.

Community:

My Column

MaryJayne (42)

Tech >> It Vehicle

How Old Is This Plane?

09/14/2007 11:28 AM

Airplanes with Ashtrays

On a recent flight from Detroit I noticed something that made me cringe- an ashtray on the wall outside the plane’s bathroom. I started wondering how old a plane had to be for it to have an ashtray build right in.
If you don’t remember ever being able to smoke on a plane, it might be because most airlines adopted anti-smoking policies well before it was legally mandated by the federal government. The debate over smoking on planes actually began in the early 1980’s, with Muse Air being the first airline to ban smoking in 1982 and the “Airliner Cabin Environment: Air Quality and Safety” study showing the increased effects of second-hand smoke in enclosed spaces being published by the National Academy of sciences in 1986. In-flight smoking wasn’t officially banned on all flights to and from the U.S. until 2000. Theoretically then, a plane with an ashtray would have to have been produced before Clinton’s 2000 smoking ban, and would therefore only have to be 7 years old.
In dog years 7 may be boarding on rickety, but not for planes. While the average age of United Airlines’ B737-300 aircrafts is 18 years, the average age of each plane in their 640 craft fleet is only 12 years. The average of each plane in Delta’s fleet is 13 years. Air Tran currently has one of the youngest fleets in the air, averaging out at a mere 3.7 years.
If you want to see for yourself which airlines have the freshest fleets, check out http://www.airsafe.com/events/airlines/fleetage.htm.

Comments (1)

Other Posts by MaryJayne
Dewy Lips and Eyes
	This Lip and Eye Gloss from Jemma Kidd is a multi-purpose mi... Read More

Are Concept Phones the Phones of the Future?
	The new line of futuristic concept phones by Sony Ericsson a... Read More

The Big Bang Theory- A Brilliant New Comedy
	Two brilliant three-dimensional chess playing, tech talking,... Read More

Earth Hour 2008 Was a Huge Success
	The first ever international Earth Hour was a huge success. ... Read More

Fred: making house a home
	World Wide Fred is an odds and ends company which gives styl... Read More

Related Posts
Sexy Dell Studio Hybrid
	A couple of years ago I would never think about putting Del... Read More

Samsung's AnyCall Haptic Knows Something About Tou...
	More precisely this newly released cellphone has 22 touch s... Read More

Digital Luggage Scale
	Does your Airline charge you an arm and a leg for overweigh... Read More

Girl Tech: Think in Technicolor
	Silver or black, black or silver, black and silver -- ofte... Read More

Opening The Pod Door
	Quality has been sacrificed for convenience in most consumer... Read More

Sony "Graphic Splash" contest.
	Taking personalization to the next level, Sony and Microsoft... Read More

Members who voted for this story (4)

Comments (1)

I was thinking the exact same thing! most planes today have a no-smoking sign above your head bright and shining through the entire flight. Why not use a sticker in the entrance to the plane and instead use the reminder space for electronic devices. This way the sign will turn off when they are allowed to be in use. We all know we can't smoke, but can't wait to turn our iPods on after takeoff...

Comment by:RedHead @ 09/14/2007, 06:12:44 PM

To comment please Login OR Sign Up