Vaping at UK airports is quickly being banned. Today, only 11 out of the 23 airports in the UK still have spaces where travellers can smoke or vape at airports while waiting to board their flight. The other 12 airports already have a total ban in place. What this means is that you can not vape or smoke once you go through airport security.
For Nicotine enthusiasts this is an additional burden to the pressure of travelling. Some travellers are known to vape or smoke several times a day but are now being forced to go several hours without using their favourite tobacco products. This is because there is no place for using these products in airports. In case of flight delays then such users are likely to be greatly inconvenienced.
This is a great contrast from many oversee airports that still have special spaces where tobacco users can freely use their favourite products as they wait for their flights. With more than 44% of Britons using tobacco products, this policy is having many negative impacts on these nicotine users.
If you are travelling in the UK then here are the UK airports that still have vaping spaces:
- Aberdeen, near Gate 5 (travellers have to pay a £1 entrance fee to the smoking area)
- Newcastle Airport (travellers can smoke or vape in Bar 11)
- Liverpool, lower level ( Just check the sign signalling a smoking area)
- Bournemouth, follow the signs
- Belfast ( there is a smoking area next to Lagan Bar. Admittance to the area costs £1 entrance fee)
- Bristol, besides Gate 4
- Manchester ( Next to the Food court at Terminal 1 and on the Upper level at Terminal 2)
- Cardiff, besides Gate 2
- Leeds Bradford, next to the Sports Bar
- East Midlands, next to Castle Rock
- Doncaster, first floor
Generally, these 11 airports have some form of tobacco ban in place. This means that travellers cannot just light up their vapes or cigarettes anywhere on the airport grounds. But they have special spaces where smoking is allowed. Travellers have to locate the right place to light up their cigarettes or e-cigarettes. Vaping and smoking are treated the same in the UK. This means that a ban on smoking in a place likely means that vaping is also banned.
To avoid the inconvenience caused by the ban on vaping products, many travellers are already planning their travels around airports that have bans in place. According to Velo, a nicotine pouch manufacturer, about 28% of nicotine product users in the UK plan their travel around airports that allow vaping. This they say helps them avoid being forced to endure long durations without their favourite products.
According to the Velo survey, 28% of respondents indicated that they have in the past opted to travel by smoking or vaping-friendly means of transport to avoid planes to airports that have a total ban on smoking and vaping. This shows the length of trouble these tobacco users are willing to go up to avoid being barred from using their favourite nicotine products for longer periods.
Of those surveyed, only 47% have used planes since airports in the UK began banning vaping and smoking. Of these 71% have used airport smoking lounges during the period. A fifth of those who used these lounges complained that their location is frustrating as they are in most cases far off in the airport from where they should be.
