Smoker's International Airways
07-26-2007, 10:14 PM
#1
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Smoker's International Airways
Yeah, bring back the good old days! 
From the Washington Post:
DUSSELDORF, Germany — At the international airport in this western German city, smokers are restricted to a handful of bars in the terminal, or else stuck puffing on the dingy street outside.
Soon, however, tobacco lovers from around the world could be beating a path to Dusseldorf. A startup airline based in the German city plans to offer long-haul luxury flights that cater to smokers, countering a decadeslong global trend that has made it impossible to enjoy a cigarette on most passenger flights.
The founder of Smoker's International Airways — Smintair for short — is a local entrepreneur who promises a return to the days when air travel was considered glamorous and smoking in the lavatory didn't risk criminal prosecution.
"Other airlines have lost every kind of sympathy for their passengers by leaps and bounds. They treat them like cattle," former stockbroker Alexander Schoppmann said. "What all of those carriers want these days is for you to stay in the seat, and you better bloody well stay there, and don't even ask for anything to eat or drink. You can't do anything."
Smintair has won approval for a coveted landing slot at Dusseldorf International Airport and permission to fly to its first destination, Nagoya Airport in central Japan.
On Smintair, according to Schoppmann, fliers will be able to mingle at bars on the upper or lower deck of a Boeing 747, which will be reconfigured to be so roomy that there will be space for just 138 passengers, instead of the typical 400 or so.
Everyone will sit in either first class or business class — at round-trip fares to Japan between $6,700 and $14,500 — making Smintair the latest entry in a growing number of new airlines limiting themselves to high-end service.
Schoppmann said he expects to complete the purchase of his first jumbo jet in the next few weeks, and Smintair could make its maiden voyage early next year.
He hopes to acquire one or two more Boeing 747s by next summer, which would allow for daily flights between Germany and Japan, and possibly other routes.
Schoppmann claims the air on Smintair will be cleaner than on other carriers, with an extra-strength air-conditioning system that will constantly pump in fresh air from outside.
Schoppmann has had a running dispute with the World Health Organization, dismissing public health concerns over secondhand smoke as "the biggest scam of all times."
"I'm just another healthy smoker," said Schoppmann, who inhales about a pack a day. Smintair picked Japan because it's about 12 hours one way, a long time for nicotine addicts to go without a fix, and because about one-third of all Japanese adults smoke, as do one-quarter in Germany. Also, Dusseldorf has the third-biggest population of Japanese expatriates in Europe, with about 20,000 people.
From the Washington Post:
DUSSELDORF, Germany — At the international airport in this western German city, smokers are restricted to a handful of bars in the terminal, or else stuck puffing on the dingy street outside.
Soon, however, tobacco lovers from around the world could be beating a path to Dusseldorf. A startup airline based in the German city plans to offer long-haul luxury flights that cater to smokers, countering a decadeslong global trend that has made it impossible to enjoy a cigarette on most passenger flights.
The founder of Smoker's International Airways — Smintair for short — is a local entrepreneur who promises a return to the days when air travel was considered glamorous and smoking in the lavatory didn't risk criminal prosecution.
"Other airlines have lost every kind of sympathy for their passengers by leaps and bounds. They treat them like cattle," former stockbroker Alexander Schoppmann said. "What all of those carriers want these days is for you to stay in the seat, and you better bloody well stay there, and don't even ask for anything to eat or drink. You can't do anything."
Smintair has won approval for a coveted landing slot at Dusseldorf International Airport and permission to fly to its first destination, Nagoya Airport in central Japan.
On Smintair, according to Schoppmann, fliers will be able to mingle at bars on the upper or lower deck of a Boeing 747, which will be reconfigured to be so roomy that there will be space for just 138 passengers, instead of the typical 400 or so.
Everyone will sit in either first class or business class — at round-trip fares to Japan between $6,700 and $14,500 — making Smintair the latest entry in a growing number of new airlines limiting themselves to high-end service.
Schoppmann said he expects to complete the purchase of his first jumbo jet in the next few weeks, and Smintair could make its maiden voyage early next year.
He hopes to acquire one or two more Boeing 747s by next summer, which would allow for daily flights between Germany and Japan, and possibly other routes.
Schoppmann claims the air on Smintair will be cleaner than on other carriers, with an extra-strength air-conditioning system that will constantly pump in fresh air from outside.
Schoppmann has had a running dispute with the World Health Organization, dismissing public health concerns over secondhand smoke as "the biggest scam of all times."
"I'm just another healthy smoker," said Schoppmann, who inhales about a pack a day. Smintair picked Japan because it's about 12 hours one way, a long time for nicotine addicts to go without a fix, and because about one-third of all Japanese adults smoke, as do one-quarter in Germany. Also, Dusseldorf has the third-biggest population of Japanese expatriates in Europe, with about 20,000 people.
08-24-2007, 08:15 AM
#4
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Posts: 421
He probably is. The most famous healthy smoker is Herb Kelleher. Chain Smokin and Jack Drinkin Herb Kelleher.
So long as he can raise money for an airline then he will probably get it off the ground. The key is keeping it in the air. And I do not think there are enough people who will ride on them to do that
So long as he can raise money for an airline then he will probably get it off the ground. The key is keeping it in the air. And I do not think there are enough people who will ride on them to do that
08-24-2007, 08:33 AM
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Hey, Walt, nice to hear from you. All he needs is enough smokers to fill the one or two planes he has, right? He can make a profit that way. He's picked Germany and Japan, two countries with many nicotine addicts. He may have plans to expand into China, which has even more smokers than the other two combined. I don't smoke myself, but I can imagine the unpleasant withdrawals of one on a long haul flight.
schwan, you are easily amused!
I like you.
schwan, you are easily amused!
I like you.
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