In a video gone viral, an apparently inebriated man was caught on video lighting up a cigarette - a practice long banned on flights - and then promptly falling asleep with it still lit.
The video, with more than 200,000 views on YouTube since it was uploaded on May 21, was captured and uploaded by an unnamed fellow passenger. The incident took place on a Spirit Airlines flight to Minneapolis.
In-flight smoking has been prohibited by airlines for decades. United Airlines first began a move toward the practice when it designated certain sections of its aircraft as non-smoking in 1971. In 1977, Aurigny Air Services banned smoking entirely on its flights.
By 1988, smoking was banned on all domestic flights of two hours or less, and by 2000 all domestic and international flights prohibited smoking.
The woman who shot the video on her phone said the man lit up about 40 minutes before landing. He took one puff of the cigarette and then lowered his hand and fell asleep with the cigarette still lit.
A passenger across the aisle from him could be seen fidgeting and looking around before finally summoning a flight attendant, who awakens the man.
The man jolts awake, is told what happened and says 'Oh my god," surprised to hear what he did.
The woman who shot the video said, "Throughout the flight, I could hear him making loud outbursts. Roughly 40 minutes before we landed, he laid across the two seats with his butt towards me. He continued his loud outbursts and began aggressively flipping the tray open and closed, then he sat up. I saw him take the cigarettes and lighter out of his pocket. I pulled out my phone and started to record as he lit the cigarette."
Once the flight landed, Minneapolis-St. Paul airport police met the flight at the gate and removed the man. It is not known if any formal charges were filed.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
