DUESSELDORF, Germany, July 25 Smokers will be encouraged to light up on a new luxury airline based in Germany called Smintair -- Smoker's International Airways.
Beginning next year, Smintair officials said they plan to offer long-haul luxury flights to Asia catering to smokers aboard a Boeing 747, reconfigured from 400 seats to room for just 138 passengers, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The start-up Duesseldorf-based airline plans to install an extra-strength air-conditioning system to constantly pump in fresh air from outside, as opposed to the partly recirculated cabin air found on most planes, said Alexander W. Schoppmann, a former stockbroker who started Smintair.
"People think the cabin will be full of smoke, which is bollocks," Schoppman told the Post. "The air on Smintair will be more refreshing than on a normal flight. You will not even notice the smell of somebody smoking a cigarette or pipe in the next seat."
Schoppman told the Post he expected his initial round-trip fares to Japan to be between $6,700 and $14,500, making Smintair the latest entry in a growing number of airlines limited to high-end service.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
