Vaping in Airports: Can You Bring a Vape on a Plane?
Vaping in Airports: Can You Bring a Vape on a Plane?
Airplanes have made life easy, and there’s no doubt about this. People all around the globe, including the US fly on a regular basis to different countries and continents. While some do it because of their work commitments, others do it for pleasure or just for the sake of traveling. Nevertheless, travelling by air is the most common mode of traveling when it comes to foreign countries.
As the times are changing, habits and preferences of people are changing too. Not a long while ago, people only used to do smoking but now more and more people are switching to vaping. Around the globe, people like to vape. Vaping is a healthier alternative to traditional smoking, which is one of the reasons behind its popularity.
Unlike tobacco cigarettes, vape pens do not have a cancer-causing agent called tar. Tar consists of 70 carcinogens that are burnt while a person is smoking.
The question, which you might ask a vaper friend of yours when you are thinking of travelling by plane is, ‘can you bring a vape on a plane?’ The problem is that while vaping is not that new anymore, most of the vapers are not sure about what the rules and regulations are for vaping.
In this article, we intend to cover this topic in detail and explain to you if you can vape on a plane or not if you can bring vape products at airport or not and give you tips on how to pack your vape products for traveling in a plane.
What is vaping and what are vape devices?
Let’s get started with the basics. Vaping is defined as the act of inhaling the vapor that is produced by an electronic cigarette or a vaporizer. The inhaled vapor is produced from materials like e-liquid, dry herb, or concentrate. Vaping is one of the fastest growing industries in today’s world.
During the process of vaping, e-liquid is vaped. An e-liquid constitutes of four ingredients; vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, food-grade flavoring and pharmaceutical-grade nicotine. Vegetable glycerin produces vapor. Propylene glycol can also be found in asthma inhalers and is added to antifreeze and to retain the flavor. Food-grade flavoring can be either natural or artificial, and has a lot of variations.
Vape devices come in several different sizes. For vaping, you need a vape pen, battery and also a charger or an extra battery if you have them. A typical e-cigarette has an e-liquid in it, which is vaporized through the process of heating when a vaper vapes it.
Flying with vape pen
Over the past couple of years, airport security has changed immensely. As terrorism has become a global problem, airports all over the world are very sensitive when it comes to their security. If a traveler coming from a foreign country brings anything that can even stir a doubtful thought, the airport authorities take strict actions against it.
Now when it comes to flying with a vape pen, the truth is that no definite rules or regulations have been introduced with reference to vaping. There are only a small number of countries that actually have regulated vaping. One of the reasons is that e cigarettes have still not been categorized as they are still new in the market.
To answer the question, ‘Can you bring a vape on plane’ is not as simple as it looks. In August of 2016, the United States law declared that e cigarette products need to be regulated the same way tobacco products are.
When you are making a plan to fly to another country or state, it is a good idea to get in contact with the airline representative and discuss their policies when it comes to e cigarettes.
The majority of the airlines and airports have formulated their policies about vaping and e-cigarettes now. Generally speaking, vape devices are not allowed to be kept in checked bags. But on the other hand, you can keep vape products in your travel bag. On the security gate, all electronic cigarettes and vaping devices need to be removed from the bag, displayed to the security officials and kept with the passenger on the aircraft cabin.
Flying with a vape pen and actually vaping on an airport are two different things.
Whether you can vape or not on an airport depends on the policies of the airport you are traveling to or from. While some airports have dedicated spaces for vapers where they can smoke or vape, others do not allow such activities on their premises.
Flying with vape
When you are flying with vape devices, it is important to take care of a few things. First thing, make sure that you have ample extra batteries, which are stored in the correct fashion. Do not keep them close to any magnets, loose change or anything that can ignite them. As you cannot charge your vape on the plane, having extra batteries is crucial. Keep the chargers with you. It is recommended to put chargers or batteries with an electronic device or a laptop case.
Secondly, whether you have a vape pen, atomizer or any other vape device, remember to turn them off. Store the devices in an appropriate container.
The third point is to go through the posted rules of the airport from where you are going to fly.
When bringing e liquid on a plane, assure that the amount of liquid does not exceed the TSA limit of 100 ml. The container of e-liquid should not be larger than 100ml either. Place e-liquid in a zip-top and clear plastic bag. Instead of specifically telling the security guards that this is an e-liquid bottle, simply carry it along as you would bring along a shampoo or lotion bottle.
While going through the airport security check, disconnect your e cigarette battery from the atomizer. If the security alarm still sounds, hand over the parts to a TSA officer so that they do not have any doubts about you.
For containers, do not choose a glass container as they can easily be broken.
The vape batteries should be placed in a carry-on bag. Pack them separately and do not forget to seal them as you don’t want them to get in contact with each other and unfortunately result in a fire or explosion. Always invest in a reliable battery carrying case, it is worth the money.
As you cannot vape during flight, you should also keep your device turned off. Take the battery out of the device.
If you have a long flight ahead and you are habitual to vaping, you might feel the urge to have nicotine in your body. A good alternative is to have nicotine gums or patches with you during the flight.
A handy tip is: whether you are flying local or international – do not forget to have an envelope with you. The envelope should be self-addressed and large enough to keep your electronic cigarette inside. This way, if your e cigarette or other vape devices are confiscated by the security at airport – you can immediately mail it to your home. You don’t want to waste your hard-earned money and your favorite vape pen after all, right?
Can You Bring a Vape Pen on a Plane?
Even if the airport does allow you to fly with vape, do not ever vape while you are in the mid-air. This is an unethical and inconsiderate action as other passengers might feel uneasy with vape smoke in an enclosed space. Also, this is against the flying regulations and can result in you in getting a penalty.
Vaping is strictly prohibited in any kind of enclosed places. In the United States, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has banned vaping in commercial flights. The ban has been in effect since April of 2016 and is applied to all local and foreign incoming flights. Individuals who have vape devices or vape pens with them can board the plane but cannot do vaping during the flight.
The FAA insists that vape should not be kept in your checked luggage but with you, on the flight. The logic behind this policy is that there is the unpredictability of loose lithium-ion batteries in the cargo. The best practice is to disassemble your vaporizer and keep all the part in a career.
Airlines have bathrooms but that does not mean, you can use them for vaping while in the flight. The Department of Transportation says it in clear words that you cannot vape or smoke once you have boarded the plane.
Keep your vape tank empty. When the airplane is mid-air, there would be pressure on the airplane which can result in leaking of you vape juice. You do not want e juice to leak inside your bag and ruin everything obviously.
The topic about banning vapes from airplanes and airports is ongoing so never forget to keep a check on the current policies before packing your luggage for the trip. TSA blog is a helpful resource to keep you updated about the regulations and rules regarding vaping on airports and flights.
Can you do vaping in the airport?
Since August of 2016, the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) all e-cigarette products are regulated the same way tobacco products are regulated. As a result of this decision, a number of states and regional governments in the US have categorized e cigarettes among the substances that cannot be smoked indoors.
As a consequence, e cigarettes are not allowed in places where tobacco cigarettes are also banned. World Health Organization recommends that e cigarettes should be banned indoors just like tobacco cigarettes are banned. Every country has followed the recommendations as they see fit. While vaping is banned in some countries like Argentina, Australia and other countries have only some restrictions when it comes to vaping.
In some countries, you cannot find any rules regarding vaping. Some countries have banned vaping altogether while others have introduced some rules.
If you are a vaper and want to travel to a foreign country, it is important that you check out the vaping regulations in that particular country. You don’t want to end up a in jail of an unknown country just because you did not know their strict rules of vaping, right?
There are some vape friendly airports in the US, which include: Laguardia Airport in New York and John F Kennedy International Airport. In these airports, vaping can be done in certain terminals.
Other airports in the world that allow vaping in their premises are: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, vaping can be done in designated areas for tobacco smoking; Heathrow Airport, vaping cannot be done inside terminal buildings but can be done in the designated terminals; and Frankfurt Airport, vaping is allowed in the designated lounges for smoking.
Can you bring JUUL or cigarettes on a Plane?
Just like vape devices, you can bring cigarettes on a plane but you cannot smoke it while you are on the flight. There are certain smoking areas and smoking lounges on airports where individuals are allowed to do smoking. Some airports even allow smoking in certain terminals. Once the flight starts, no smoking is allowed.
A JUUL e-cigarette either uses alternative vaporizer or tobacco. Although a JUUl vaporizes without a flame-based method, it is neither allowed in checked luggage nor can it be vaped or smoked while you are on a plane.