House OKs Permanent Airline Smoking Ban

The House voted Thursday to make permanent the ban on cigarette smoking on airline flights lasting two hours or less, a restriction the tobacco industry fought two years ago but now sees as preferable to threatened stronger restrictions.

The measure would prevent the current ban, which covers four out of five domestic flights, from expiring in April.

However, in a victory for the cigarette industry, anti-smoking forces were blocked from adding language that would have banned smoking on all domestic flights.

“This is probably the most popular bill we’ve passed around here in two years,” said Rep. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), sponsor of both the existing and the new restrictions.

The permanent prohibition was contained in an $11.9-billion transportation bill for fiscal 1990 that the House passed 366 to 50. The measure will next be considered by the Senate.