Following the article published on Thursday, Ryanair changed its “general terms and conditions of carriage”. The phrase “ e-cigarettes ” has been removed from the section “passengers are prohibited from carrying the following items into either the security area or the checked baggage area or the carry-on baggage area” (section 8.9.1).
Under section 8.3.3, Ryanair added to this decision:
“Passengers may carry e-cigarettes in checked baggage, but it is strictly forbidden to use e-cigarettes or any type of tobacco in the aircraft cabin.”
Gillian Golden of the Irish Vape Shops Association (IVVA) told Vaping360 that the IVVA and the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) jointly wrote to Ryanair on Thursday afternoon asking about the clause in the online policy document. And as stated in the original article, Ryanair has promised to respond to Vaping360 twice.
It is still uncertain whether the policy change came from the IVVA and IBVTA petition, or Vaping360's question.
The important thing is that vapers will have one less worry when planning their travel in the future.
The story before the policy change
According to the policies and regulations for Ryanair, the world's largest international airline, vape products are no longer allowed on board.
The company's most recent “baggage policies and conditions” document includes “e-cigarettes” among the items listed under passengers are prohibited from bringing to security or in checked or carry-on baggage.
This means that vapers will need to purchase a vape product when they arrive at their destination or use permitted nicotine products on Ryanair, such as smokeless tobacco, NRT products or regular cigarettes.
Vaping360 has requested a response from Ryanair's office. We were told a decision would be made on Thursday and published the following day. We will update the article if the company issues a clarification or makes a different decision.
Usually when one airline changes its carry-on policy, others soon follow. Because airlines often cooperate on safety and security policies, banning vapes on all flights could have ripple effects on other airlines.
Ryanair is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. According to the International Air Transport Association, it is the world’s largest international airline (measured by international passenger bookings). It grew from a small company to Europe’s largest by copying the business model of Southeast Asian low-cost carriers.
In 2015, ECigIntelligence reported that Ryanair had signed an advertising deal with e-cigarette company Dansmoke, which sells Cigalikes and Ego products in Europe. The campaign involved Dansmoke placing ads on Ryanair flights, but had nothing to do with the company’s baggage policy.
Source: Jim McDonald - Vaping360
Translated by: The Vape Club
