Smoking is permitted in certain areas at Zurich Airport.Image: KEYSTONE
Switzerland’s largest national airport has launched new smoking lounges. But the measure raises questions – and the Lung League is criticizing it, which also affects the SBB.
Benjamin Weinmann / ch media
Anyone who has never been to Switzerland will probably be looking forward to fresh mountain air before flying to the land of Heidi, Roger Federer and Rolex. But when you arrive at Zurich Airport, the alpine air is quickly forgotten: When the sliding doors open after the arrivals zone, you are often greeted by wafts of cigarette smoke – be it at the exit to the taxis, to the shopping center or to the bus and tram station.
“I have to cough every time and I’m shocked that Switzerland doesn’t have stricter smoking laws,” says an American who often travels to Switzerland. In fact, the smoking areas in these areas often begin immediately next to the entrances and exits of the terminals. The boundaries drawn on the ground are ineffective in the air. And as an on-site inspection this week shows, even the prohibition zones are not always respected.
16 smoking rooms at the airport
In fact, a few weeks ago the airport opened two smoking rooms in the arrival halls. Spokeswoman Andrea Bärwalde makes it clear that the aim is also to take into account the needs of those passengers who feel disturbed by the puffing passengers: “Ideally, smoking does not take place directly at the entrances and exits to our buildings.” The airport currently operates 16 smoking lounges. These are usually ventilated rooms with glass doors in the middle of the terminals where cigarette consumption is permitted.
One of the two new smoking lounges in the arrivals area of Zurich Airport. Image: Benjamin Weinmann
Aside from the two new lounges, all smoking rooms are sponsored by well-known tobacco companies. You can design the lounges yourself. Bärwalde does not reveal whether the cooperation is simply to cover costs or whether the airport even makes a profit from the advertising deals.
Meanwhile, at a recently closed Camel Lounge it says: “Please use the outside area to smoke, after Starbucks turn right towards the taxi stand.” Why is there no mention of the two new indoor lounges in the arrival halls? “Due to the route, we decided to point out the nearest smoking area at this point,” says Bärwalde.
Smoking lounges are not without concerns
The airport entrance at the bus and tram station: Smoking is allowed on the left, not on the right. A stripe on the ground marks the imaginary boundary in the air. Image: Benjamin Weinmann
According to a 2017 study by the US Department of Health and Human Services, 46 percent of the world’s largest airports were smoke-free. The report, which received attention in the aviation industry, states that smoke can also migrate from special smoking areas – outdoors and indoor lounges – to non-smoking areas, where it poses a threat to the health of airport employees and passengers. There is no risk-free inhalation of tobacco smoke, directly or indirectly. “We are not aware of the study in question,” says Bärwalde. “Our smoking lounges have excellent ventilation technology and are closed rooms.”
The situation at Zurich Airport is currently not satisfactory for the Lung League. The association advocates for the concerns of people with respiratory problems, lung disease and tuberculosis. “The smoking zones should be clearly positioned further away from the entrances so that other passengers do not have to suffer from passive smoke,” says Claudia Künzli, head of prevention at the organization.
“Passive smoke is harmful”
Responsible for the topic of prevention at the Lung League: Claudia Künzli.Image: zvg
Künzli also criticizes the prominent placement of the smoking zones. These would suggest that smoking is the norm. The opposite is the case: “76 percent of the Swiss population does not smoke.” She emphasizes that it is more than just “a mere odor nuisance”. “Passive smoke is harmful because it is composed of virtually identical toxic and carcinogenic substances as tobacco smoke.” Outside, passive smoke is mixed with fresh air. “Thus, although the harmful concentration of pollutants is less high, it is still harmful to health.”
Künzli is open to making the Lung League’s expertise available to the airport: “We are happy to work with those responsible to look for better solutions.” The question is whether the airport sees a need for this. According to Bärwalde, he has only received two complaints in the last two years.
How useful is this non-smoking zone at Zurich Airport when the ban ends right next to it and an ashtray invites you to smoke? Image: Benjamin Weinmann
The smoking debate doesn’t end at the airport. Künzli points out that the Lung League has had repeated contact with the SBB in recent years, as train passengers regularly complain about passive smoke pollution at train stations. “These complaints have not stopped, even after the SBB introduced defined smoking zones on platforms.” The prevention expert speaks of a “half-hearted solution”. On the one hand, smokers do not stick to these smoking zones, and on the other hand, passive smoke does not stop at these limits.
“We are lagging behind neighboring countries”
Smoking is banned: The smoking areas at Zurich Airport are not observed by everyone. Image: Benjamin Weinmann
“We see the same thing in sports stadiums,” says Künzli. “In the interests of their suffering fans, who regularly contact us, we repeatedly ask stadium operators to declare their sports stadiums a smoke-free zone. Unfortunately so far unsuccessful.”
The non-profit organization also advocates for smoke-free zones, such as at bus and tram stops or on restaurant terraces, which would always give rise to complaints. “The federal law to protect against passive smoking was introduced in 2010 and has never been adapted to social trends since then,” says Künzli. “We are lagging behind our neighboring countries in this regard.”
In 2018, the Public Transport Association decided to introduce “smoke-free train stations with smoking areas on the platforms” throughout Switzerland. This measure was intended to increase the quality of the customer’s stay through greater cleanliness and a more pleasant smell.
Not a rare SBB picture: Cigarette butts in a smoking ban. The Lung League describes the regulation in public transport as “half-hearted”. Image: Benjamin Weinmann
But for some commuters, the numerous prohibition signs – on the floor, on pillars or walls – are apparently just a recommendation that you don’t necessarily have to adhere to. The numerous cigarette butts lying on the ground around her are evidence of this. And sometimes there is an ashtray in the immediate vicinity despite a prohibition sign.
Strict Swiss smoking law in Geneva
SBB spokeswoman Fabienne Wittwer contradicts: “The vast majority of smokers adhere to the rules of the game.” Travelers who do not follow the smoke-free regulations will be addressed and pointed out to the designated smoking areas on the platforms or at the entrances, says Wittwer. Anyone who does not comply with this could be expelled if they repeat it. However: “We don’t keep any statistics on the number of cases.” Negative feedback from customers is received within a manageable range.
From the Lung League’s perspective, there is still hope for stricter non-smoking protection. At the beginning of this year, the canton of Geneva introduced a smoking ban partially in publicly accessible outdoor places, such as bus stops, playgrounds and schools. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 1,000 francs. “Hopefully this example will soon set a precedent throughout Switzerland,” says Künzli. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
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