Actually, you can forget anything you think you know about rights once you're on there. And yes, putting vapours into the air in a sealed pressurised cabin *IS* enough to restrain you, land at an alternate and have you arrested.Only advice I would give is wait until the plane takes off before lighting up.. then they can't exactly chuck you off can they...
There are some pretty strict penalties for causing a commotion on a plane, even where it may have been unintentional. I don't know if you remember the ryan air passenger who was arrested for enthusiastically debating with cabin crew about an inedible sandwich... as soon as he solicited the opinion of others it was a breach of air safety, a possible incitement to mutiny, and the staff had carte blanche in dealing with him. He was arrested upon landing and fined heavily.
Then there's the passenger who, despite instruction to the contrary, left his seat 30 mins into a flight to use the toilet as he was desperate. Again, restrained, arrested, and handed over to police on landing. If you even mention the word bomb in joke you're as guilty as if you made a direct threat... as the man who accidentally said "Why? it's not like I have a bomb in my bag" on a BA flight quickly found out.
So...
You want to let wisps of smokey vapour rise into the air for nervous flyers behind to panic over ? Or for someone with limited visibility to simply assume you're trying to set fire to the sole of your shoe or somesuch ? Ummm, Yeah... you'd be guilty of "behaviour likely to cause a panic on an airplane" as surely as if you'd set fire to your seat.
Honestly, eCigs may have their place in a plane... the toilets. And only if you really must. Use the least vapourous mix you can - a 100% PG lowest nico you can use - and take shorter well-spaced-out puffs. Blow it down away from any vents or openings, blowing directly into a vent may seem like the best way to avoid a buildup of smoke - but that might be blown straight out another vent - so let it dissipate naturally.
You DO have a duty as a passenger to behave responsibly and actively avoid causing any alarm or discontent on board the aircraft.
And don't forget that even if no panic ensues, you're dealing with recycled air. The vapour may be visibly short lived but in a sealed pressurised tube with a 100 edgy passengers at FL340 and 330 KIAS under international law it is probably NOT the best time nor place to be debating what it is, where it went and whether it is a threat.
Seriously, you have to use your head. A train is one thing, a plane is another.
-Gary
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