U.S. Extends Smoking Ban to E-Cigarettes

The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued a final rule prohibiting the use of electronic cigarettes on scheduled and charter flights. Like the broader smoking ban, the rule applies to both domestic and foreign carriers despite past criticisms that applying smoking bans to foreign airlines oversteps U.S. regulatory authority. Passengers are also barred from packing electronic smoking devices in their luggage out of concern for the fire risk presented by the devices' lithium ion batteries.