Flight passenger brings up 'vaping in the bathroom,' sparking debate about on-board actions

Vaping on planes can be a bit of a cloudy issue for some people who question whether flight passengers can get away with using e-cigarettes in the bathroom. 

One Reddit user took to the forum "r/flightattendants" to ask others, "Do you guys know when passengers vape in the bathroom?"

"Yes, we know," one Redditor commented.

The user added, "Even if [an] audible alarm didn't go off (or maybe it did and you were too far to hear it), something else will alert on the FA panels or in the cockpit - and the pilots [will] call to tell us to check on a specific lavatory."

Another person said, "There are sensors all over the plane. Just saying."

Another person said, "Keep in mind an alarm may have sounded, but it may not have sounded like a traditional alarm you think of - so it may not have registered [in] your mind it was an alarm."

A Redditor suggested, "Just buy some nicotine gum if you really are that hooked."

"I watched someone just hitting their vape in their seat a few weeks ago," said another flyer. 

"Exhaled into her clothing. No one said anything to her the entire flight. I think some care more than others do."

"It's just the smoke detector, but these aren't your average home smoke detectors," said Leff.

"The modern ones can certainly detect aerosols from vaping."

"You can't smoke on a plane. You can't vape, either," said Leff. 

"The FAA has interpreted the prohibition on cigarette smoking to include vaping products, even though they're quite different."