I noticed that smoking is prohibited in most public places around the world, but in the major airports around the world they managed to understand the stupidity of all the human beings that decided to smoke despite the known deadly consequences of this deadly habit. In all these airports that I'm talking about (Madrid, Rome, Poland, Mexico City, etc.) smoking areas with air purifiers, smoke exhaust fans, windows, and other ventilation systems, were set up around the premises of the airports to allow the smokers to indulge in their vice.Frequent cleaning of these places is a constant in all these airports, these areas are also easy to find (plenty of signs around) and they are small enough to encourage the smokers to have their cigarette and leave to make room for other smokers.
The Ben Gurion international airport in Israel seems to be the exception. The smoking area located in a difficult to find corner of the airport (almost no signs at all), has no ventilation or air purifying system, it's dirty, sticky, crowded, smokey and disgusting! The garbage, cigarette butts, and ashes pile up in disgusting stinky mountains. Sometimes, there are so many people in there smoking that you would need infra red gogles to find your way around this thick smoke filled room.
Last time I was flying out of Israel, I found myself sitting in this little room with a bunch of time and a laptop, so I decided to write an email to the person in charge of Public Relations of Ben Gurion Airport (telmas@iaa.gov.il), and it read as follows:"Hello:
I am an Israeli citizen and resident, and a smoker. I travel a lot from and to Ben Gurion airport around the year and I am dissatisfied with the smoking areas at the airport.
I do not intend for you to make this areas bigger, more central or more comfortable. All I ask is for some ventilation in there. It is really unpleasant to walk in there and smell the scent of old cigarettes and smoke. While I don't think that these should be central areas of the airport, I think that at least you could organize some ventilation in there and an hourly clean-up.
I know I'm not the first person to comment on this, and I respectfully urge you to do something about it.
Thanks in advance,
------------"
Several months have past since I wrote that email and I haven't got any responses. I encourage you to write as well and demand that these people, the smokers, are treated with respect and dignity. And if you don't want to do it for the smokers, do it for me! Cause even though I don't fly out of Israel that often, I would like to be able to have a cigarette before I get on the plane and not have my clothes, hair and body smelling like a beduin after cooking for the whole chamula for a straight week!
