A few weeks ago, I told you things could get very ugly across the
pond after Air France announced it was banning smoking on all its
flights. Sacre bleu! A Frenchman without his cigarette?
Why...that's like a Napoleon without custard.
Well, the airline apparently knew how radical its move was, because
now Air France says it's handing out nicotine substitutes to
help folks suffering from smoking withdrawal on its flights. And not
only that, they've hired a doctor specializing in smoking disorders
to help passengers at Charles de Gaulle airport. Of course, to many
French, a smoking disorder is defined as a dislike of smoking. It's
the non-smoker who's the weirdo in your average bistro. There, No
Smoking signs have all the legal authority of a Christmas tree
ornament.
As far as I'm concerned, I'm all for anything that eliminates smoking
anywhere, but, then again, I'm an American. Pass out patches, offer
therapists, whatever it takes. All of us who flew when smoking was no
big deal on planes know how awful it can be. But this move by Air
France is really a double whammy, because the new non-smoking flights
include those between Europe and Asia. And if there's any region
where smoking is more prevalent than Europe, it's Asia. So if you
have one of those long international no smoking flights on your
itinerary, take my advice: Buckle up tight... and pass the Nicorette!
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