Smokers only airline set to grace the airways

If you believe in vampires, black fairies, Darth Vader and Voldemort, then this is for you.A new airline for smokers only is scheduled to make its first flights in March 2007. Smintair (Smokers' International Airways) has been founded by a German businessman, Alexander W. Schoppmann, in the hope of attracting the Asian business market as well as pro-smoking Europeans. Smintair plans to fly jumbo jets with 30 first-class and 108 business-class seats equipped with televisions, DVDs, gourmet food and "charming and beautiful" flight attendants. And ashtrays, of course.

On Smintair, the penalties for not smoking can only be imagined. Consider this letter from Alexander W. Schoppmann, addressed to "Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Guests" and published on the airline's website (www.smintair.com). Herr Schoppmann laments the decline of standards since the introduction of three-class international travel: "The descent of service accelerated dramatically," he writes, with interesting use of metaphor. "With this separation, the airlines created the room necessary to imply those changes and stop all kinds of services. Even my dearly loved Cocktail Frankfurters, not to mention the cigars, went literally through the window."

I can see the Smintair idea expanding to cater for other long-haul masochists. In fact, I've just gone into the aviation business with a plan to make Qantas quake. Welcome to Shmithair, the world's only uncomfortable smoking airline, which permits cigarettes, cigars and pipes at all times, especially during refuelling stops, when you are welcome to puff away to your heart's content near the petrol truck.

...it was only a matter of time before the gap in the market was to be catered for....

New Zealand's source for travel news on Stuff.co.nz: Smoker's only airline set to grace airways

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