 |
The following dates are milestones in making Airlines non-smoking in the
USA.
1988 President Ronald Reagan signs the Federal Aviation Act, with
the Durbin Amendment, into law, making domestic flights of two hours of
less smokefree. Air Canada and Canadian Airlines International make all
their intracontinental flights smokefree.
January 1st - California's law making all in-state commercial travel
smokefree takes effect. A 1988 poll conducted for ANR finds that 84
percent of California's smoking and nonsmoking airline passengers
approve of the new state law restricting all smoking on intrastate
flights; 58 percent of respondents indicate they would fly with an
airline they didn't usually fly if it went completely smokefree.
April 23rd - The federal law making all domestic flights of two hours or
less smokefree is made effective on April 23rd. The law is designed to
sunset in two years.
On the same day, Northwest Airlines goes one step further than the
federal law and adopts a company policy making all its domestic flights
100% smokefree.
October - In an open letter, Representative Durbin attributes the
smokefree victory to the "strong grassroots support" generated by groups
like ANR and states that "hard work on the local level is what led to an
unprecedented public health victory in Congress."
1989 June - The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC)
releases results of a public attitudes survey about smoking on airlines.
The national survey shows that 92.8% of nonsmoking and the majority of
smoking (58.1%) airline travelers polled approve of the current
smokefree law on flights of two hours or less.
September - The House approves the language of H.R. 160, extending the
two-hour smokefree policy beyond two years. The battle shifts to the
Senate, where Senator Lautenberg fought for S. 519 to make longer
flights smokefree.
October - British Airways makes all domestic flights smokefree.
October 21 - Representative Durbin publishes an acknowledgment piece
regarding smokefree flights in the Congressional Record. ANR is thanked
for being "particularly active."
November 8 - The Senate gives final approval to a smokefree policy on
all domestic and domestic overseas flights, of six hours or less.
November 16 - The House and Senate Conference Committee adopt a
"compromise" that makes flights operating within the 50 states and its
territories of six hours or less smoke free.
November 21st - President George Bush signs the House and Senates
Conference Committee's compromise language into law, making domestic
flights of six hours or less smoke free.
1990 Federal law making all domestic airline flights of six hours
or less smoke free takes effect on February 25th. The law affects all
but 28 of the 16,000 domestic flights in the U.S. Interstate buses also
become smoke free.
1992 The International Civil Aviation Organization passes a
resolution urging its 152 member countries to go completely smoke free
by July 1, 1996.
1993 Amtrak makes most of its trains smoke free, but still
maintains "smoking cars."
1995 Delta Airlines goes smoke free worldwide on January 1st.
1997 TWA, United, and American all announce plans to fly smoke
free by July 1st. Northwest and Continental remain the only two major
United States airlines that do not adopt smoke free policies for
international flights.
1998 On March 29th, Air France makes all its trans-Atlantic
flights smokefree. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic make all their
flights worldwide 100% smoke free by April 1st. The two join a list of
other completely smoke free European airlines, including Lufthansa, Er
Lingus, Finnair, Icelandair and Scandinavian Airlines.
1999 On October 5th, the Senate passes a Federal Aviation
Administration bill, which includes a clause to make all flights to and
from the U.S. smoke free.
2000
April 5 - President Clinton signs the Wendell H. Ford Aviation
Investment and Reform Act of the 21st Century into law, making all
flights to and from the U.S. smoke free.
June 4 - The Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act becomes
effective, making all flights between the U.S. and foreign destinations
go 100% smoke free. In a press release issued by the U.S. Department of
Transportation, Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater says,
"Protecting the health of Americans includes ensuring their right to
breathe smoke-free air when they travel."
Enjoy the site and email us if you have anything to add.
info@SmokeFreeAirlines.com |
|