Old Airplane Rules: Smoking Ashtrays and Cockpit Myths

Claim A says Ashtrays were built into airplane armrests because smoking was allowed. Claim B says Passengers could walk into the cockpit anytime to chat with pilots. Claim A is true, and Claim B is completely made up.

For decades, lighting up mid-flight wasn't just tolerated, it was completely ordinary. Airlines even installed built-in ashtrays in every armrest, and some planes had them on seatbacks too, tucked right next to the tray table.

Smoking sections existed, but the split was almost comically useless. Rows would be divided by a few feet of aisle, meaning smoke drifted freely through the cabin's shared air regardless of where you sat.

The U.S. didn't ban smoking on domestic flights until 1990, and international routes held out even longer, with some airlines allowing it into the late 1990s.

Even after bans took effect, airlines kept the ashtrays installed in lavatories for years. Regulators actually required it, since a determined smoker sneaking a cigarette needed somewhere safer than a wastebasket to put it out.

The cockpit-visit claim isn't real. Pilots have never allowed random passengers to stroll in for a casual chat, cockpit access has always been tightly restricted for safety, and security rules only tightened further over time.

Would you have guessed right, or did this one catch you off guard? Send it to a friend and see if they can spot the fake.