The TSA has ruled that lighters will once again be legal to take onto airplanes, effective August 4. Not Zippo lighters or other “torch” lighters, just “common” lighters.

Amazing. Bottled water is still illegal, but a container containing a flammable liquid is permissible. That’s freedom, baby.

And why the two week delay? Do lighters’ magical terrorist powers somehow expire at midnight on August 3?

Sounds like a big step forward in the expansion plans of all-smoking airline Smintair!

Speaking of Smintair, the tobbaco-laden German/British airline with the absurd claim that its air will be healthier than nonsmoking airlines’, looks like it’s actually making headway. They recently put up a timetable (pdf) that has them flying Dusseldorf to Tokyo and on to Shanghai starting October 28. The countdown is on.

The Smintair website remains one of my favorites, for sheer comedy. Everything from the poorly translated English, to the 1970s porn-esque styling, to nuggets like this line from the employment page: “Allergics to any kind of smoke or aviation specific conditions, militant Anti-Smokers, or people with other social deficiencies are kindly asked to not apply.”

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Taking a cue from the introduction of all-business class airlines like Maxjet and Eos, and supplementing that concept with some addiction-enabling, German entrepreneur Alexander Schoppmann is starting up an all-smoking luxury airline.

The BBC reports that Smintair, short for Smoker’s International Airline, hopes to launch flights between Dusseldorf and Tokyo using leased 747s configured with only 30 first class seats and 108 business class seats. No economy seats.

Trying to emulate a “grand hotel” atmosphere from the 1960s, smoking will be allowed throughout the plane, with the upper deck turned into a lounge.

While smokers might value the opportunity to light up on a long flight, the airline is bizarrely pitching itself to non-smokers as well:

Non-smokers will find the cabin air more refreshing than on any other flight with any other airline, as SMINTAIR adds fresh outside air to the conditioning system! This is more expensive, as it burns more fuel, but it is seen as an additional service to our guests.

Yeah, sure, nonsmokers will really love that tiny bit of outside air that’s mixed with 138 chain-smoking travelers. Hilarious!