The BIZARRE FAA Rule That Could Delay Your Next Flight

There are so many rules, regulations, and requirements that revolve sending a bunch of folks flying through the air.

There are all sorts of flight regulations!

Yes, we’re talking about flight regulations. You know, things like having to turn your devices on airplane mode, stowing things in the proper locations, and not smoking cigarettes in the lavatory. Yep, we’ve all heard the spiels several times! However, there are other flight regulations that passengers, of course, are unaware of. There was recently an incident where one of these regulations caused flights to be GROUNDED. Let’s talk about it.

According to Business Insider, five United Airlines jets were were grounded due to a strange flight regulation.

Flights were grounded because of a strange rule

An airline spokesperson told Business Insider that the planes were grounded after the No Smoking signs failed to turn off — even though smoking inside United States aircraft was banned 24 years ago.

No smoking signs must be able to be turned on and off, apparently!

United has several Boeing planes that were actually exempted from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) rule that flight attendants must be able to turn on and off these No Smoking signs. The Boeing 737, 757, 767, and 777 models all have No Smoking signs that are always illuminated and cannot be turned off by the flight crew.

Air travel

However, United’s new Airbus A321neo wasn’t yet exempted from the rule, although its No Smoking signs operate similarly to the Boeing models. United has written a letter to the FAA requesting exemption.

Did you know this about the No Smoking signs?

So… what does this mean for your travels? Well, if you’re flying United, there is a chance that you could face groundings or delays due to this regulation. United has around 130 planes of this model, so you could face some issues as the airline waits for exemption approval. Looking forward though, United isn’t the ONLY airline to utilize these models. Assuming that each airline must apply for exemption, this could happen with any airline. Just be prepared for potential delays.

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