Marcie,
I emailed the customer service at the airport to ask about the airport smoking policy, I will let you know when they answer :)
How long is your layover?

Marcie,
Here is their reply:

O'Hare is a non-smoking public facility. Smoking is only permitted outside of the Terminal Building.

Don't know about O'Hare, but Zurich airport has smoking rooms..

The key word for O'Hare may be "public". Most of the membership lounges (like the Crown Club for Delta) have gone non-smoking, but some of them may not have. Try contacting somebody with AA to ask about their lounges (Admiral's Club is AA, isn't it?).

Philadelphia goes totally "smoke free" tomorrow according to the local news here. Supposedly no more smoking in bars and restaurants in the terminal.

Getting a bit out of hand, now. And I'm a non-smoker, too. Hopefully they'll provide some sort of lounge. Surely they can't expect people to go outside and then go all the way back through security. I'll report more when I read the full report in the paper. Just heard a news blurb driving to work today.

Kathy

Yes Kathy, please keep us posted. That's the airport I always fly through, and this is not good news for us nasty smokers!

Well, i dont' really smoke (what do you mean don't really??) What i mean is i have been know to have a few with coctails, most of my friends smoke,and smokers always seem to be having the most fun anywhere i go. Anyway, a word about O'Hare. there is really nowhere you can smoke. They are serious about this too. Even Midway, which used to be loose, has cracked down. It's pretty tough for smokers with our hideous winters to have to run outside, but they do it. Sorry, even my husband who has never touched one in his life, doesn't get why there can't be a smoking lounge, if non smokers want to go in there, that's their business.
Cindy

Well, Philadelphia International was on the local news tonight. According to their report, no smoking anywhere inside the terminal.

Given the security of today, I find that really hard to believe. That would mean a lengthy walk, then returning through the full security routine all over again. People interviewed were NOT happy.


I have a friend who works as a gate agent for US Air. I'm going to try to catch up with him this weekend to see if there is some sort of a lounge.

Not to be a "ranter", is that a word? But this is getting absurd. As I mentioned before, I'm not a smoker. (Although I have been known to take a longing whiff as I go by a smoke-filled lounge on a high stress day.....) We're going through this in our building right now. Guess what area they have kindly set aside for our building's smokers? The LOADING DOCK! Yup, complete with engine exhaust from trucks being unloaded. Our building faces Rittenhouse Square, but they don't want anyone smoking in front of the building. Sheesh!

Kathy

Just an update on Nice and London Heathrow. There are areas to smoke in the Nice airport. London has only 1 place to smoke in terminal 1, which is where we were. It's at the Bridge Bar and there's only a small area there designated for smoking. Heathrow is really a zoo. They don't post the gates until 1/2- 1 hour before your flight and it can be a 15 minute walk. Wasn't impressed.

I found Heathrow to be a nightmare when checking in there - but stumbled upon the bar with no problem. It was a small area, but no one was in it.

Not that anybody will go there, but Oklahoma City Will Rogers International (?) Airport has a smoking room on the second floor BEFORE security, and one can smoke outside pretty much without restriction. Except that there is no way to get outside post-security without going through that whole mess again.

Thanks,
Richard

I will be flying there in June. See Richard, on this board you never know who will be going where.

Dublin airport is 100% non-smoking within the airport. (I found it interesting that although many people in Ireland smoke, there is no smoking within any buildings, pubs etc.) Outside the terminal was very crowded with many smokers.

Thanks for reminding me to never fly thru, or go to, Dublin, Marcie!

Anchorage AK and Vancouver CA are both NON smoking airports. I find the fact that AK allows the use of "medical marijuana," per our tour guide, ironic as the rest of the state becomes like CA re: tobacco!

Ireland became "non-smoking" about 1 yr ago, due to an over-zealous health minister; it's the wave of the future I guess. A/O 7/1/05 most restaurants in GA are non-smoking, with a few stringent exceptions.

Kathy, how crowded are the Anchorage and Vancouver airports? Is it easy to get out and back in through security?

And an update on Madrid airport, we got a kick out of their smoking areas, which seemed to be everywhere. They are roped off from other areas of the airport by blue tape on the floor. That's it, no walls, just blue tape :)

Also, any recent O'Hare updates?

Oh yes, no such thing as Non-smoking in most places in Spain. I'm surprised thay don't allow it in their airlines!

O'Hare is non-smoking although if you're flying International on American Airlines in Biz or 1st you have access to the Admiral's Club that has a smoking section (at least it did a year ago).

Karen,

Vancouver was as Ana Luisa described in her review although our gate may have been even further away - it was a long hike. The immigration line was long, but moved quickly. Total time after we got the luggage was at least 45 min.

Anchorage has 2 terminals and Delta was at the smaller, less busy of the 2. Going back out wouldn't have been a big deal. I don't know the distances from gates in the larger one, but from security wasn't very far. (We visited that one because there was so much time to kill and there's a shuttle bus between the 2.)

Do you know that in the Las Vegas Airport (McCarran Field) they haven't allowed smoking in years but you can still smell it in the terminals?

Another Kathy, I forgot that we would be immigrants in Vancouver!

The last time I was in Las Vegas, they had smoking rooms with slot machines in them. Have they taken those out?

It has been a few years since I was there.

I think they still have the "smoking rooms" - but I never saw slots in them.

Tampa is still the best. :) But may change under the new manager. The old manager was a smoker and made sure there was smoking rooms. Then Florida pass a No indoor smoking law and the good rooms are now off limits, SO the manager had built outdoor smoking areas. LOL cages three stories up at the same level as the gates. Not bad.

Anyone have any recent Denver reports? Marcie reported that there was smoking permitted several years ago in one of the bars but that may have changed by now?

No change the last time I was in Denver 6 months ago Karen. The upstairs bar (only one that allows smoking) requires you to buy something (coffee or bottle water qualifies).

Thanks Marcie, that will work!

When I was in New Orleans (pre-Katrina), I smoked in a bar on the concourse. Any lounge that sells alcohol allows smoking and there is one on every concourse. The best part was that after I finished my cigarette, I could take my unfinished beer with me to the gate!

When we flew Continental out of LAX there is an outdoor smoking atrium between Continental (terminal 6) and United (terminal 7)actually closer to terminal 6. I was very surprised to see this....AA is out of terminal 4 and Delta is out of terminal 5 and there is no smoking atrium there.

Wow, that surprises me, I thought LAX was totally smoke free!

At LAX you can also go to outside by the baggage claim. There are a zillion smokers standing right by the doors. It makes me wonder if a first time vistor thinks it's our LA Smog!

Kathy, are you talking about an area within a secure area? You can pretty much smoke outside of any baggage claim area.

The LA Airport's website is www.lawa.org
There are two smoking rooms. One in Terminal 6 and one in Terminal 2.

RE: Gatwick
As of April/05. The smoking areas of Gatwick are gone, and you have to go to one particular bar. on the second level.

New to this...Karen told me about it when we met.
SEA designated area outside baggage claim...25 ft. from any entrance!
Stockholm...an enclosed see through room about 8'X 8'. If I knew how to attach a pix, I would!!
LYNN
Gee, I guess I found this thread last May. Ooops

MEM is no longer totally smoke free. Now when the monotone drones on, he mentions two smoking location (both lounges, I think). I guess they had too many missed flights or something.

I heard from someone that as airports are being remodeled, many are adding some type of lounge or outside atriums inside security to eliminate going in & out and clogging up security lines even more than they already are.

I think that is an excellent idea. Outside atriums are great.

Honolulu International Airport became a completely smoke-free airport - no smoking from the gates to the curbside as of today.

Masaki

And an update from Toronto's Pearson International Airport - now completely smoke free as well.........not that many of you pass through there, but I have to use it to get on my Regent Cruises, so it's quite annoying! LOL.

Charlene